


The Throne Must Be Such a Sad and Lonely Place

by agentwashingtin



Series: Origins AU [1]
Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: Gen, Minecraft!AU, kings!au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-06-05
Updated: 2014-12-15
Packaged: 2018-02-03 13:21:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 67,364
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1746158
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/agentwashingtin/pseuds/agentwashingtin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>At Achievement City’s inception, the Mad King did not exist. In fact, he would not surface for many years, following kinder kings and brutal wars and unthinkable tragedies. And though his legacy is his madness, he was not always the man he is now. When he arrived he was simply known as Ryan Haywood. </p><p>Six men have played parts in the shaping of Achievement City, and the Mad King is not the only reign the throne has seen.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. King Geoff

Even before it was a kingdom, Achievement City was different. At first, the land that would later take on the name of the kingdom was merely a sprawling expanse of prairie and forest. There was only a small cluster of villages in the middle of the continent, surrounded by other, older, kingdoms. These kingdoms had agreed to leave the land they encircled alone, as the villages were peaceful and there was no need to expand and conquer.

But as the villages grew, and the kingdoms around them became increasingly uneasy, they knew they would need structure, some form of government. As the kingdoms scrambled for order, two men emerged from the chaos and united the villages, creating laws and buildings alike to bring the community together.

Geoff Ramsey and Jack Pattillo, friends from a village in the southeastern land of the continent, brought peace of mind to the people, and the grateful villagers were content to call one of them their king. Jack graciously passed over the title, and so Geoff became the first king of the land, which they named Achievement City. King Geoff was fair, if a bit irresponsible at times, but he knew how to take care of the land he had created. With his guidance, the people of Achievement City expanded far throughout their small slice of the world. Villages and other structures sprung up around the more habitable parts of the land and the population grew with it. Geoff carefully guided the construction of these additions, and he was content to do so. He ruled peacefully over the land while it matured into a respectable kingdom.

The inhabitants liked him well enough, but they knew that one day he would die or be killed in battle; that was how they monarchies they had seen in the past worked and they knew nothing else. 

Because Achievement City was a fledgling kingdom compared to the others around it, and due in part to Geoff’s generally relaxed nature, there weren’t many threats throughout his rule. The only conflicts were natural: zombies and skeletons appearing at night on the edges of the city, or the occasional creeper wandering through the woods. These issues were nothing the kingdom’s small band of knights couldn’t take care of. All in all, Geoff Ramsey was set to have a peaceful rule until he could pass the crown on.

Then the stranger first appeared on the edges of town, a few cattle plodding along behind him as he made his way to the center of the city. No one paid him much attention except Jack, who took care to know as many people in the kingdom as he could. As soon as Jack realized the man was a stranger, he immediately brought up his guard; Achievement City was far from any other kingdoms and didn’t see newcomers often.

“What’s your name, sir?” Jack questioned as the man passed by his smithy.

The man came to a halt, the cows following behind him stopping as well with only a few disgruntled moos at the sudden pause. He was dressed plainly, a black tunic over grey trousers, and worn leather boots. His hair had darkened with sweat and grime, and was plastered to his temples and the back of his neck. Jack could see that his skin wasn’t any less dirty, and with the hollowness to the man’s cheeks, Jack wondered how long he’d been travelling.

After a pause, as if considering how to answer, the man said, “Ryan. Ryan Haywood. I come from Core.”

Jack startled, straightening up. “ _Core?_ What are you doing all the way down here in Achievement City?”

Ryan shrugged. “I’m looking for land, for my cows and I, and there was none from there to here.”

Jack shook his head. “Well, I don’t know how long you’ve been travelling, I can only guess considering the distance, but let me take you to Geoff. If there’s anything we can do to help, he would know.”

Ryan offered him a smile, and it looked as if he hadn’t done that in some time. “Thank you, sir.”

“Jack Pattillo.” Jack held out his hand, and Ryan grasped it in a firm handshake. “It’s my pleasure.”

After a short visit to the throne room, Geoff could see that Ryan had a good head on his shoulders and didn’t appear to carry any ill will toward him or his kingdom. It was decided that Ryan could have a small plot of land next to Geoff’s former house where he could live and farm in peace.

“Thank you, sire. Thank you very much.” Ryan bowed low, and a few knights escorted him out of the throne room to his new home.

Geoff seemed pleased with his decision, but Jack couldn’t help voicing his concerns.

"Sire, this man… He seems kind, I wouldn’t have bothered with him if I didn’t think so, but… Don’t you think you’re being a bit too generous toward him? He’s nothing but a stranger to us."

Geoff crossed his ankles, placed one elbow on his knee and leaned forward. “I’m not worried about him, if that’s what you’re hinting at.”

Jack hesitated. Him and Geoff had been friends for a long time. He was there when the King first had ideas about uniting the villages into the kingdom Achievement City was now. He knew to trust Geoff’s judgement, but he also knew that the King’s kindness had gotten him in trouble before. “I think we should watch him.”

Geoff nodded. “I think so too. Why do you think I put his house next to mine? And you can watch him while you help with the construction of the pen for his animals.”

Jack bowed deeply, out of habit more than anything. “Of course.” 

"I don’t think that bow was low enough," Geoff quipped, a smile twisting his lips.

Jack rolled his eyes. “Sometimes I wonder how someone like you got so much power.”

The King grinned and shooed Jack out the door, urging him to get back to his job.

Years passed and eventually both Geoff and Jack lost their wariness toward Ryan as he proved himself to be a valuable member of their city. He even came to be in Geoff’s close circle of friends. Geoff trusted him almost as much as he trusted Jack, and he couldn’t help it. Ryan was charming, and everyone that met him grew to like him almost instantly. 

However, even though Geoff and Jack trusted Ryan completely, they still sometimes saw something in him that had originally sparked their discontent, though they never paid it much mind. They both went back to only worrying about their jobs and the protection and growth of the city. Things progressed as normal.

And then, nearly four years after Ryan arrived in the city, Geoff stepped down. 

If that wasn’t odd enough in itself, he gave the crown to Ryan. Even Jack doubted his friend’s decision. 

"What the hell do you think you’re doing?"

Geoff turned to see Jack at the doors to the throne room, fuming, with his blacksmith’s apron still tied around his waist, and one hand clutching his favored ax. 

He stared a Jack for a moment before dropping his gaze to the crown he held in his hands, twisting it back and forth so it caught the low candlelight. Jack had made this crown for him, and though it had some small dents in it, it was still one of the most finely crafted things Jack had ever made. And now Geoff was giving it up.

"I’m leaving the throne. The city has grown enough that it needs someone stronger than me to rule.” Geoff let out a long sigh, running his fingers over the crown. “There are rumors looming of war with Mast, and we both know I’m not the man to lead soldiers into battle. That was never my intention when I became king, and if things progress the way they are now, we won’t have a choice.” Geoff closed his eyes. “So I don’t have a choice. The city can use me elsewhere, but my job is done here."

"Bullshit," Jack growled, his long beard, the tips singed where it had gotten too close to the fire, trembling in anger.

Geoff turned his eyes back up to his friend, meeting his challenging gaze. “Do you think I  _want_  to give up my crown? Of course not. I love ruling this kingdom, you know I do. But I’m not a general. I don’t have the capability to lead a fight. Someone else needs to take over.”

"But  _Haywood?_  Out of all the people you could have chosen. All those who’ve been here since the beginning. Who know this city inside and out-“        

"Someone like you, you mean?" Geoff said calmly, a spark of anger leaping in his normally docile eyes.

Jack clenched his jaw and hesitated before answering, “No, not me.”

"Then who, Jack? Everyone in Achievement City has their jobs-"

"And yours is being king!" Jack interrupted.

"-and no one else is fit to rule. Ryan is strong enough to handle what this position requires, and I know he will be as fair a ruler as I have been."

Jack was quiet for a moment. Eventually his grip on his hammer loosened and the anger died out in him. “You’ve been king for so long, I don’t even remember what it’s like to not take orders from you. Ryan is young. Are you sure he can do this?”

Geoff paused and looked down at his crown again. His warped and muddied expression looked back at him through the gold. He could see his tired eyes and the wrinkles on his face that hadn’t been there years ago. No matter how much he hated to admit it, his job was complete.

He turned and set the crown on his throne and then descended the steps to stand in front of Jack. He placed his hand on his friend’s shoulder and gave him a tired smile. “I hope so.”


	2. King Ryan

Ryan’s rule began as calmly as it could have. At first he was surprised to have been picked, and even voiced some of the same concerns Jack had. But once Geoff explained his decision and emphasized the importance enough, he had no choice but to accept.

His coronation wasn’t anything spectacular, much like Geoff’s had been. Almost everyone in Achievement City attended. Even Geoff’s new ward Gavin, a gangly young man with a passion for designing almost as strong as Geoff himself, and pretty handy with a bow as well, was present by his side. Jack presented him with his new crown, a simple silver band with small patterns of leaves etched into the near flawless surface, and Geoff symbolically stepped off the throne and let Ryan take his seat.

The new king looked awkward at first, settling into the throne with hesitant movements. He ran his fingers over the armrests and then cleared his throat and sat up to address the small crowd gathered. “Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to govern over and represent such a strong community. I only hope I can do you all justice.”

The audience clapped politely and then made their way out of the throne room, leaving Ryan, Geoff, Jack and Gavin alone. Ryan tapped his fingers on the arm of the throne, looking down at his three closest friends. “I meant what I said, Geoff.”

"I trust you, Ryan," Geoff replied. "I know you’ll be a strong king."

"He already looks more at home in that throne than you ever did," Gavin teased lightly.

Geoff smacked him on the arm, mumbling fond insults as he led the group out of the room.

It was true, though. Despite having a slow start, Ryan quickly became a just as good, if not better, king than Geoff had ever been. The throne suited him, and he began to like it more than he thought he would. The citizens gradually began to warm up to him, as well. Most of them had already known Ryan before he became king, and they were still just as fond of him as before. He was clever, and he knew how to speak clearly and calmly, placating them with just his words. Occasionally he would seek out Geoff for advice, but overall he was taking to the role of king quite nicely.

However, too soon, the reason behind Geoff’s abdication came to fruition. One of the closest kingdoms to Achievement City felt threatened by the city’s constant expansion and declared war. Ryan knew that this was the reason he had been chosen to rule and felt the only course of action was for him to deal with it himself and fight. Almost every male living in the city was called upon, including the king. Both Geoff and Jack protested his direct involvement, saying that he was too new of a king to fight. If he died, the city would be thrown into disarray without its king. Ryan knew the consequences, but he also knew that he couldn't sit back and do nothing. He needed to set an example, and prove that he was worthy of ruling. 

On the eve of the first battle, Geoff found Ryan in his quarters, strapping his diamond armor on over his chain mail, and struggling with the clasps because of shaking fingers. Geoff stepped forward and batted Ryan’s hands away, quickly fastening the clasps by himself.

"Thank you," Ryan murmured, looking at himself in the mirror over Geoff’s shoulder.

Geoff clapped him on the back, his hand meeting the diamond encasing Ryan's torso. "I understand if you’re nervous. This is the first battle Achievement City has ever seen. If you fuck up, it’s on you."

Ryan snorted. “How eloquent. Thanks Geoff.”

Geoff shrugged. “I’m serious though, Ryan. You chose to lead the charge. I’m not saying it’s the right decision, it’s downright stupid actually, but it’s brave. This is why I chose you to take my place.”

"I know, that’s why I need to do it." Ryan straightened his chest plate and turned to one of the men guarding his door. "Send for Sir Jones."

The guard nodded and walked quickly down the hall. A few moments later he returned with Ryan’s head knight in tow. Michael Jones was almost as new as Gavin, and yet was one of the most proficient men with a sword that Ryan had ever seen. It helped that his fists could be just as deadly as a sword when needed. He had been promoted within the first month of his arrival.

"Yes, sire?" Michael asked. He was outfitted with iron armor like the other knights, but the diamond sword at his waist, a gift from Jack, signified his stature.

"Ready the other knights. We leave at dawn."

Michael nodded. “Of course.”

He turned to leave, but Ryan called him back. “Oh, and Michael. Make sure Gavin brings his arrows this time, not just his bow.”

Michael cracked a smile and chuckled. “Yes, sire.”

Geoff stepped back. “I’m going to check on Jack. I’ll meet you at the city walls at dawn.”

Ryan nodded. “All right, Geoff. Good luck.”

"You too, my liege," Geoff responded, a smile gracing his lips.

Ryan shook his head as Geoff left the room. He strapped his belt around his waist and slid his sword into the sheath, exiting the room and prepping himself for the upcoming battle.

* * *

"Fall back! Fall  _BACK_!" Ryan’s booming voice echoed over the ranks of his men.

Cries of pain and the clashes of metal on metal resounded in his ears. The opposing kingdom had surprised them with tamed spider jockeys and zombies at the front of their lines. Their numbers overwhelmed Ryan’s and they’d been on the defensive for almost an hour.

Every so often he’d see Jack swinging an ax at a skeleton, scattering its bones over the field, or Geoff decapitating zombie after zombie. Gavin launched arrows from up in the trees surrounding the battle field and Michael led the charge behind the first line of monsters, attacking the human soldiers from the other kingdom. Ryan himself was checking on his men, occasionally throwing himself between one of his knights and an enemy, blocking their attack and killing them before moving on. An arrow had caught him in the left shoulder not too long ago, and it was starting to slow him down. He had snapped the end off to avoid it getting caught on anything, but the piece of sharpened flint was still lodged in the meat of his shoulder, and it sent a sharp lance of pain through him every time he moved to block an attack.

"On your right!" he shouted to Geoff, barely in time for the man to dodge a jumping spider and impale it with his sword. Geoff huffed out a small thanks before turning back to check on Gavin. The younger man seemed to be safe up in his perch, but he was quickly running out of arrows in his quiver.

"The men are exhausted. I don’t know if we can hold out much longer," Jack panted. There was a fresh bruise on his cheek and blood seeping from a cut on his arm, but otherwise he seemed fine.

"I know, and Gavin is nearly out of arrows. Right now I’m counting on Michael to kill their head knight, or at least someone in charge. We need some kind of advantage.” Ryan surveyed the extensive damage already done to his men, and the battle wasn’t even over yet.

Jack glanced at him out of the corner of his eye. “Ryan this isn’t you’re fault. We didn’t expect that they’d have monsters with them.”

"But I’m the King, I can’t-"

"Don’t complain about it," Jack snapped, knocking a red eyed wolf that was midway towards Ryan’s throat out of the air. " _Do_  something.” Jack slipped back through the writhing mass of bodies, swinging his ax through the air as he went.

Ryan took a deep breath and scanned the battlefield one more time. Gavin was lighting some of his arrows on fire and shooting them towards zombies and skeletons, who were the most susceptible to the flames. The pillars of fire warded off other combatants, splitting up parts of the crowd. Ryan chose a path between two still burning zombie corpses and charged through the crowd, trying to avoid stopping but occasionally stabbing an opposing knight or decapitating a monster as he went. Eventually he got up to where Michael was, and the howls and moans of the monsters morphed into human cries of exertion and pain.

"Sire!" Michael called out, swinging his sword at an enemy and then following up with a hard punch from his left hand, his empty fist armed with metal plated knuckles. "Their king is behind these lines. I’ve been trying to get to him but I'm stuck here. More men just keep showing up!"

Ryan’s eyes quickly examined the area, searching for the weakest point in the ranks. He spotted a small gap between two fighting groups and called out to Michael, “Cut me a path! I’m going to try and make it through.”

Michael nodded and surged away from the area he was fighting in. As he got closer, Ryan noticed that there was blood matting the knight’s curls and drying on his cheek. “Are you hurt?” he yelled over the noise.

Michael shook his head. “I’m fine, just go!”

Together, they fought through the seemingly endless droves of knights. Ryan knew he should feel sick at the amount of men he killed, the number of bodies he stepped over- some still alive and bleeding profusely- but he couldn’t bring himself to care. These men were threatening his kingdom, and they were nothing more than obstacles to him.

Michael stabbed someone in front of him, and as the body fell it opened up a path right to where the King was standing. He looked more regal than Ryan did at the moment; blood wasn’t staining his clothes or spattered on his skin, and his armor was cleaner, sword less dull. The King spotted the two men struggling to get to him and sneered in their direction.

"I’ll take care of the knights, you get that bastard," Michael snapped, turning to confront the gathering of knights around their king.

Ryan clenched his teeth and charged in the direction of the King. Their swords clashed together, the vibration resounding through Ryan’s bones as he planted his feet and fought back.

"Ah. So the new King finally arrives," the man said, blocking Ryan’s thrust.

Ryan refused to comment, focused on the fight and intent on finally killing the King. 

He had never felt this much hatred towards someone in all his life. This man had killed his men and threatened his kingdom. There were families, people he _knew_ , that would never get to see their children, their husbands or brothers, ever again, and it was all because of this man. Ryan wanted to watch him bleed and beg for mercy.

Ryan wanted to  _enjoy_ his death.

With a loud cry of pure fury, he thrust his sword into the soft spot under the King’s chest plate, twisting his sword up farther into the King’s torso. Warm blood poured over his hands as the King choked, dropping his sword and slumping forward towards Ryan.

Ryan planted his feet, shoving the King backwards. The King slid off of Ryan’s sword and dropped to his knees.

Ryan knelt in front of him, baring his teeth and growing in the dying King’s ear. “Take this as a message.  _No one_  attacks my kingdom.”

He stood and kicked the King in the chest. The man toppled over, hitting the ground with a low thud as his eyes slid shut. The knights around them seemed to realize that their king was dead, and they faltered long enough for Michael to finish them off. He turned and saw Ryan standing over the dead King, hands stained red and fury in his eyes and stepped back instinctively. He had seen that look in men before, and knew not to get involved.

"Spread the word through the ranks," Ryan commanded lowly. "Their king is dead."

Michael nodded and ran off, continuing to fight. Quickly the knights of the opposing kingdom heard the news and started to retreat. Ryan’s knights rose up and drove off the remaining forces. The sun was high in the sky by the time the last knight fell.

Ryan stood in the middle of the carnage around him. His knights had already begun moving the dead towards the funeral pyres they were building, and gathering up fallen armor and swords.

Geoff approached him, placing a hand on his shoulder. “You did it, sire.”

"Yes, but at what cost?" Ryan replied in a quiet voice. His arm was really starting to pain him, and he desperately wanted to pull the arrow head out.

"Battles always result in casualties, Ryan. You know that." Geoff watched him with sympathetic eyes.

Ryan avoided his gaze and looked over the field. Gavin was walking through the corpses, retrieving arrows, and Michael was helping Jack with collecting the bodies. Every time one of Ryan’s knights passed him they praised his courage, but every kind word made him even more sick to his stomach.

"It doesn’t make it any easier," Ryan replied, finally turning to his friend.

Geoff smiled sadly. “I know, sire. But we’ll recover. Under your guidance, I trust we’ll come back even stronger.”

Ryan sighed and finally loosened the death grip he had on his sword. “For all our sake, Geoff, I hope you’re right.”

* * *

The kingdom did eventually move on.

The people mourned collectively for months over the dead. There wasn't a person who hadn't lost someone they had known, and it seemed to take the life out of the kingdom. Every time Ryan saw a family dressed in black, or his shoulder gave a twitch of pain, it was like a punch to the gut. Reminders were all over the place, and hardly anyone knew the right way to cope with so much loss at once.

Geoff had seen battles before, and helped as much as he could, but there was still a smothering cloud of sorrow over the whole city, and Ryan couldn’t help feeling responsible. He had led his men into battle. He hadn’t sensed the danger they faced or been able to stop it as quickly. He knew that it wasn’t all his fault, but his chest still ached with guilt.

As time passed, things got easier.

The battle was a scar in the history of the kingdom, but most everyone bounced back from it. However, when the mourning had lessened, people saw that Ryan had changed.

No one really noticed it at first, caught up in their grieving as they were, but their kind and sociable king was spending less and less time overseeing projects in the kingdom, and more time locked up in his throne room. He only saw his closest friends in there; everyone else was too afraid to approach him.

The only change came when a young man from Michael’s old village, Ray, moved to the city. He became friends with the group as fast as Gavin and Michael had, and his kind personality helped Ryan to come back out of his shell. Ray was quiet around the others in the kingdom and not many people paid much attention to him at first. But when he was around Ryan and the others he could be just as snarky as Michael, or as playful as Gavin.

Ray's presence gave Ryan something he could focus on. The young man was almost better with a bow than Gavin was, and with training he could easily become the best archer in the kingdom. Since Ryan wasn’t too bad with a bow himself, he spent much of his time with Ray, teaching him how to hone his skills and stay focused if he were ever in a battle situation.

It was during one of these training sessions that Ray first brought up the topic to Ryan.

"Draw the bowstring back more, like… there you go. It should be about equal with the corner of your mouth, by your cheek there." Ryan reached up and placed one of his gloved fingers next to Ray’s mouth. "That’s a good anchor point. It will allow your aim to stay true to your target. Trust me, it helps."

Ray was quiet, but that wasn’t unusual for these practices. He normally liked to stay focused when Ryan was giving him pointers.

"Position your feet about shoulder length apart. You want to make sure you’re steady so you can get a solid shot. Obviously it’s more difficult to find a good stance like this if you’re on the move or crouching, but we can cover that later." Ryan stepped back and circled Ray. Ray’s posture was near impeccable, and he was still as a statue. Though he looked scrawny, he could hold his position as long as Ryan needed him to without his arms getting tired, which was impressive for his age. Even Gavin still shook a bit when he was aiming.

Ryan stopped just behind Ray and pointed out into the field they were shooting towards. “Now, when you’re ready, make sure you inhale. Steady yourself and focus on your target. Visualize where you want to hit it and let go.”

Ryan stepped back and watched Ray as he breathed in. His chest barely moved, not altering his position at all. As he exhaled, he let the bowstring slip through his fingers. It made the slightest sound as it whispered past his finger guard and then whistled as it slid through the air. They listened for the slight thunk as the arrow hit the target fifty yards away and stuck. Ray dropped his composure and turned to Ryan, beaming.

"How was that?" Ray asked, letting his arms fall to his sides.

Ryan allowed himself a small smile. “Very good, Ray. Let’s get a closer look.”

The two walked leisurely across the field. Ray was impatient to see how he did, but he restrained himself from bolting ahead and away from his king.

They reached the target and Ray let out a whoop of triumph as he saw the arrow lodged in the center of the target. Ryan chuckled at his friend’s excitement as Ray threw his arms up in the air and spun in a circle.

"I got it! I hit the center! Suck on that, Gavin!" he shouted, waving his bow in the air.

"You’ve learned a lot, Ray. I’m proud of you." Ryan smiled at Ray and then looked towards the sky at the sound of distant thunder. The sun was slowly sinking towards the ground, and storm clouds brewed in the distance. "Why don’t we head back? It’s getting late."

Ray nodded. He grabbed his arrow from the target and slipped it into the quiver on his back, then slung his bow over his shoulder. The two made their way back to where they started and packed up the rest of their equipment.

Ryan was gathering up his arrows when he heard Ray clear his throat behind him.

"Um, sire?"

Ryan turned. Ray was standing with his gear packed and ready and a strange look on his face. Ryan could almost call it nervousness, but that wasn’t exactly right.

"You know you don’t have to call me that."

"I know," Ray fidgeted and looked at the ground, his earlier confidence washed away. Ryan’s eyebrows drew together and he stepped forward.

"What’s troubling you, Ray?"

Ray cleared his throat again. “Listen, I’ve been thinking, and I was just wondering… well.” He sighed and looked up to meet his king’s gaze. “The kingdom is worried about you, Ryan. Me and the other guys, we’re worried about you. You’ve been so reserved lately, even more so than before I showed up. People are starting to talk-“

Ryan raised an eyebrow. “They’re talking? About what?”

"About... well, about you. It seems some of the people in the town are starting to question your decisions.”

Ryan felt a spark of annoyance leap in his chest.

"You’re not accusing any of my people of treason, are you Narvaez?"

Ray flinched. “No, of course not. Like I said, people are just worried about you. They never see you anymore, and rumors are spreading. Some people seem to think you’ve abandoned the throne. They think they’re without a king.”

"That’s ridiculous," Ryan snapped. "Who do they think protects their kingdom? Who runs the builds and the farms?"

"I know, I know, I’m not saying it’s particularly rational thinking, but it’s still happening. The guys and I are worried about panic erupting in the villages-"

"You’ve been talking to the others without consulting me?" Ryan asked lowly.

Ray swallowed. “Only with the best intentions in mind, sire. We wanted to see if we could put a stop to it before it got out of hand and we needed to involve you.”

Ryan sighed and rubbed his forehead. Lightning flashed across the sky, followed by a loud crack of thunder. “Come on, let’s get inside before the rain hits. We can discuss this more later.” He clapped Ray on the shoulder and turned towards the castle. “Thank you for telling me, Ray.”

"Of course, sire."

* * *

After that, Ryan started appearing in public more. He paid visits to the villages, even as far out as the edge of the kingdom. He made sure everyone knew that their king was still presiding over them, and crushed all worry in the kingdom.

The guys were relieved at this change in their friend, but they were also concerned about his new attitude toward his kingdom. Ryan seemed to have lost some of the trust he had in his people. Though he made sure to involve himself more in their personal affairs, he wasn’t as kind towards them as he once was. It wouldn’t be too long before the people started to catch on and distrust their king once again.

After dinner one evening, the guys found Ryan in the library, running his fingers over the spines of his cherished books. A healthy fire crackled in the grate, sending flickering shadows over the darkened room.

"Ryan?" Geoff called out from the doorway.

There was a beat of silence before Ryan turned and saw his five closest friends gathered in the door.

"Come in," he answered, turning back to his books.

The others filed in, spreading themselves throughout the room. Michael and Gavin stood behind the chairs in the center of the room, backs straight in habit. Jack positioned himself front of the fire, crossing his arms over his chest. Geoff and Ray approached Ryan, but stayed at a respectful distance. Though Ryan was their friend, he was still their king, and they did their best not to forget it.

"Ryan-" Geoff started.

"I know why you’re here," Ryan said calmly.

"You do?" Gavin said in surprise, squeaking a bit as Michael elbowed him in the side.

"Let them do the talking, stupid," Michael muttered out of the corner of his mouth.

Ryan was quiet for a moment, until he finally spun slowly on his heel. “Yes. You’re worried about how I’ve changed, aren’t you?”

The room was silent, but a heavy feeling of guilt settled over the other five.

"Ryan, we-" Ray tried, but Ryan interrupted again.

"You don’t think I haven’t heard the whispers in the villages? The rumors continuing to spread no matter how much we try to quench them? I have other ears in the kingdom besides you five, you know."

It wasn’t necessarily meant to be an insult, but the others still flinched as if it were.

Ryan continued, his voice staying level even though his tone got darker and darker the more he spoke. “Some have even started calling me ‘The Mad King’. But I bet you already knew that, didn’t you? They say I stay in the castle at all hours because I’m torturing people from other kingdoms for information, and my own people for no reason. Because I  _enjoy_  it. They say I mutilated the other King when I killed him during the battle. Not because the bastard deserved it, but because I thought it’d be  _fun_  to have even more blood on my hands." Ryan clenched his fists. "Blood I didn’t even want there in the first place.”

Geoff held out his hands. “Ryan, please-“

Ryan stalked towards Geoff and Ray. “You can tell me that I need to change. That I need to do better for my people. But it wouldn’t help a damn thing because they already don’t fucking trust me. I tried to do my best to help them through the darkest time this kingdom has seen, because  _you_ -“ he pointed his finger at Geoff, “-chose me for this. You believed I could do it.” He let out a harsh bark of laughter that made Ray wince. “You even convinced me that I could. Well you know what?” He locked eyes with everyone in the room, finally stopping on Geoff. “You got what you asked for. I’m king now, and no matter what my people say about me, I’m not abandoning them. I owe them that much.”

Ryan turned sharply, cloak whipping past Geoff and Ray’s shins as he stalked towards the bookshelf. “Now, unless you have anything else to say, I suggest you all get some rest. You have to rise early tomorrow.”

The five stood there for a moment, rooted to their spots. Ray didn’t know about the others, but his stomach felt like it was full of lead.

Eventually, Michael bowed to his King’s back and grabbed Gavin’s forearm, pulling him out of the door.

Jack followed not too long after them. “Goodnight, sire,” he sighed as he exited the room.

Geoff and Ray stood faithfully behind their king, hating the way he wouldn’t look at them even though his posture indicated he knew they were still there.

Finally Geoff’s shoulders lowered and his bowed his head. “Come on, Ray.”

Ray bit his lip, staring at the back of Ryan’s head, before surrendering to Geoff’s insistence and turning his back on his king.

Ryan stood in the silence of the library for hours. He hadn’t meant to get that vindictive towards his friends, but he was sick of them talking behind his back. Earlier that day he had overhead them in the armory, debating his ability to continue ruling over Achievement City. Their betrayal sliced cold through his chest. He thought he knew them, and that they trusted him. He thought he had earned Geoff’s confidence in him, Jack’s respect, Gavin’s idolatry, Michael’s loyalty. And Ray. Ray’s betrayal stung worst of all. He was the one who had helped Ryan up from the darkest point in his life, and now he was considering knocking him back down? Getting rid of him?

His mouth formed into a sneer and he grabbed one of the logs from beside the fireplace, throwing it into the fire and watching the flames leap up, sparks flying out of the fire and over the cobblestone. Seething, he dropped into a crouch, cloak pooling around him as he stared intently into the flames. If they didn’t think he could rule like he used to, well, then he was just going to have to prove them wrong, wasn’t he?

* * *

As the months went by Ryan became good at putting on a mask. After that night in the library, his friends expected him to come back more furious and against them than before. However, he did just the opposite. He apologized deeply for yelling at them, to which they all immediately brushed off and insisted that it was them who were in the wrong. He just smiled serenely and accepted their apologies.

Ryan began to get deeply involved in his people’s lives. He visited the sick and watched over the construction of new buildings. He listened to their problems and made sure that something was done about them. The people initially were caught off guard by their king’s sudden change of heart, but they learned to expect it and were even excited when they heard that Ryan was paying a visit to their village.

The guys all noticed a difference in him at the castle too. He started spending time in the fields around the castle, tending to the animals and watching over the crops. Jack informed Michael and Ray, who weren’t around before Ryan was king, that he used to farm and he probably missed the more simple way of life. Ryan even took to naming one of his favorite cows Edgar and making sure that it had enough living space and protection from wolves and creepers.

They were starting to see the old Ryan in their king, and were pleasantly surprised at how well he had finally moved on.

However, when Ryan was alone, he dropped his new façade and became cold once again. No matter how much he still cared for his friends, he loved them like family, he couldn’t ignore how they had lost their trust in him. He couldn’t let go of the fact that they could easily turn on him again.

One evening in late November, Ryan was alone in the castle. Gavin and Ray were out hunting in the woods behind the throne room, Geoff and Jack were overseeing the finishing touches to a new village on the edge of the city, and Michael was leading a late training for the new knights. The castle was empty, which meant he could do his work in peace.

Ryan entered the library and ignored the roaring fire in favor of the far bookshelf on the left side of the room. He reached up and removed one of the books on the second shelf, revealing a stone button hidden by the book. He pressed the button, activating the red stone and causing the bookshelf to slide into the ground, shaking the floor as it went.

As the rumbling ceased, Ryan grabbed a torch off the wall and descended the stairs, his boots echoing heavily as he touched each smooth stone step. The only sounds other than his footsteps were the swishing of his cape on the stairs and the distant noises of animals drifting up from the bottom of the staircase. Ryan listened carefully for the deeper noise hidden behind everything else, and smiled when he felt it vibrate through the stairs.

His feet touched down on the last step and he reached out his left arm, feeling around for the switch on the wall. When he found it, he flipped the mechanism, causing a line of red stone torches to illuminate the room.

Near the stairs were multiple pens filled with half a dozen of each type of animal living Achievement City. Broken eggs lay scattered at the bottom of the chicken pen, the sheeps' fur was matted, and the ocelots lay shivering in a pile in the corner of their pen. On his way to the back of the room, one of the cows mooed pitifully, flashing him its big brown eyes, but he ignored it, striding towards his goal.

In the back corner of the room, a misshapen figure staggered to its feet, screeching at Ryan as he approached. He stopped in front of it, letting it reach the end of its chains as it lunged towards him, hooves outstretched. The pigman growled, pulling at its chains, which dug into its skin and caused blood to seep to the floor between it and Ryan.

Ryan cocked his head and clicked his tongue, turning away from the pigman to face the source of the deep sound filling the room. The low bass thrummed throughout the air and spiked through his chest. Every time the structure emitted the noise the animals in the room cried out in panic, huddling together in their pens.

The five meter tall, solid obsidian frame towered over everything else in the room. The purple glow it gave off sparked and swirled lazily, throwing patterns of light along the walls. Distantly, Ryan could hear pigmen and ghasts screeching through the portal, and the wet, smacking sound of a magma cube bouncing across the hills of netherrack. Above all that, though, was the sound of the portal itself. It overpowered everything else and made him grin in excitement every time it startled the animals.

Turning back around, he approached the pigman once again, stopping just out of its reach.

"So…" Ryan murmured, leaning back on his heels to avoid the outstretched hooves of the pigman. "You’re a very interesting creature, you know that?"

He stepped back and paced in front of the pigman. “You’re not alive, or rather you’re like a zombie, and yet you and the others like you roam in your realm with swords and armor. But what are you protecting yourselves from?”

Ryan fingered the sleeve of his cloak and met gazes with the pigman. “Those fortresses you guard, who built them? I highly doubt you did, but if that’s the case, where did they come from? Where did you get this?” He held up the pigman’s golden sword. The pigman seemed to recognize it and struggled harder to get to it. Ryan placed it back on its rack and stepped away again. He peered into the beady eyes of the pigman and murmured, “Why do you exist?”

The room was quiet for a moment, the only sound the low thrumming of the portal as the purple light pitched and twisted. Ryan turned towards it.

"I already have plans to take more land bordering my kingdom, and I think adding your realm to that list might not be such a bad idea. Sure, it’s dangerous, but I think it might be interesting." He smiled serenely at the pigman and opened his mouth to speak again when he heard the thud of footsteps from behind him.

Ryan spun around, hand flying to the diamond sword hanging at his hip until he saw the figures of Geoff and Ray appear at the bottom of the steps. His hand still hovered over the handle of his sword, fingers twitching in the urge to arm himself, even though he knew his friends wouldn’t harm him.

Geoff gasped as he took in the scene in front of him. “What the hell is this, Ryan?”

Ryan cocked an eyebrow. “What does it look like?”

The two men at the stairs looked around and spotted the portal behind Ryan.

Geoff gaped. “You haven’t been going to the Nether, have you?”

Ryan shrugged. “So what if I have?”

"Ryan, you can’t just  _do_  that. Building portals, let alone going to the Nether, is highly forbidden! You know the rules better than anyone!”

Ryan’s hand clenched into a fist and dropped to his side. “I think you’re forgetting your place, Ramsey. I am your king, I can do whatever I please.”

Ray stepped forward, holding out a calming hand. “It doesn’t matter. The Nether is dangerous, Ryan. You shouldn’t be going in there alone.”

"He shouldn’t be going in there at all!" Geoff protested, throwing up his hands.

Ryan shook his head. “I can handle myself. I even captured one of the demon spawns.” He gestured towards the pigman.

Geoff gasped, pushing Ray behind him. “What the fuck, Ryan?! Why the hell did you bring that thing here? You know what kind of damage it could cause if it got loose! That’s why the construction of portals is illegal!”

"It wouldn’t have gotten loose," Ryan snapped.

"You can’t control them. Even those iron chains wouldn’t hold it forever. It isn’t your place to try and play with something as dangerous as this," Geoff hissed.

Ryan froze. He drew in a sharp breath and then glared at Geoff. “It isn’t my  _place_?” he snarled.

Geoff threw him a bewildered look. “What the fuck has gotten into you? There are children who live near the castle, Ryan! If that thing got loose it could have torn them apart in seconds. Don’t you care at all?”

"Of course I care!" Ryan shouted. "I care way too much for this kingdom and everyone in it. I’m doing my best to try and protect everyone here, and if that means taking risks, then that’s what I have to do."

"We heard your plan to expand our land out around the city and into the Nether," Ray said quietly. "Are you really willing to risk the lives of your people for land that won’t even get us any valuable resources?"

Ryan turned on him. “You’re not seeing the bigger picture!”

"Well, then enlighten us,  _my liege_ ,” Geoff spat.

Ryan flinched but pressed on. "The more land we have, the more power we have. If Achievement City is more powerful, then there is less of a chance of the other kingdoms threatening us. This can prevent further war!"

Geoff shook his head. “It’s not worth it, Ryan. There are better ways to avoid war.”

"You don’t understand," Ryan whispered.

Geoff turned to Ray. “Send for the guards.” He faced Ryan. “Ryan Haywood, you are under arrest for the illegal construction of a Nether portal in Achievement City.”

"You can’t arrest me," Ryan gasped. "I’m the King."

"You broke the law," Geoff said sadly. "I’m sorry, I have no choice."

Pain flashed across Ryan’s face as he looked between Geoff and Ray, two of the people he trusted most in the world. He shook his head. “I can’t believe…” His throat closed up and he met Ray’s guilty gaze. That sparked something inside him and he felt that familiar rage bubbling up. The anger flashed in his eyes and he growled again, “I can’t believe it. You  _betrayed_  me. I  _trusted_  you!”

Ray opened his mouth, eyes watering, but Ryan cut him off. “You bastards! I trusted all of you, and you do  _this_?” He clenched his jaw and then reached up and tore the crown off his head. “If you think I don’t deserve it, fine. See if you can do better.” He tossed the silver ring at the ground. It slid across the cobble stone and bounced off Ray’s boots.

Ray picked it up and held it in trembling hands, “Ryan-“

Ryan shook his head. “Arrest me if you want, but don’t come crawling back to me when you can’t handle it. I’m done with you.” He turned his glare to Geoff. “ _All_  of you.”

Geoff and Ray stared at him in shock. Geoff started to say something when a mighty crack resounded from behind Ryan. He spun around to see the pigman with one leg free and pulling against its remaining bond. The metal bent under its weight and then snapped free, the chains screeching as they pulled apart.

Ryan drew his sword as the pigman rushed towards him.

"Ryan!" Ray yelled, lunging towards the man, but Geoff held him back, screaming, "Don’t, idiot! You’re not armed!"

Ryan swung his sword at the charging beast, drawing a thick red line down its chest. The pigman cried out in pain and returned a swipe at Ryan. Ryan dropped to his knees, pain flaring up in his cheek and down his chest where the pigman’s hooves had caught him. The animal snarled, turning back to face Ryan and raising its arms above its head. With a bellowing cry, Ryan thrust his sword up and into the pigman’s chest, stopping the beast in its tracks. The pigman gave a final squeak and crashed to the ground. Ryan gasped and heaved in a breath, fire leaping across his wounds as the pigman’s blood poured over his hands and arms.

Ryan staggered to his feet, blood loss already making him lightheaded. Geoff and Ray lurched towards him, ready to catch him if he fell, but Ryan held out his hand. They both froze as Ryan caught their gazes. He didn’t say anything, but his eyes conveyed all the anger, pain, and betrayal he felt before slipping away into a blank mask.

With a final glance, and clutching his bleeding chest with his unarmed hand, he stumbled into the portal and was gone.

"No!" Ray cried, struggling against Geoff’s arms. "Geoff let go, we have to get him! He’s injured- he’ll die in there!"

"Ray-" Geoff started, but they both quieted as the portal flickered, gave one last booming cry, and then the light disappeared.

"No…" Ray murmured. He swallowed. "We just need to light it again, right? We can get him, right? Geoff?"

Geoff’s face had gone pale as he looked at the dead portal. “A ghast must have gotten it from the other side.”

"But if there was a ghast waiting right on the other side, what about Ryan?" Ray asked.

Geoff didn’t say anything, but the color didn’t return to his face.

"Geoff, what about Ryan?"

"I- I’m sorry Ray," Geoff whispered, his voice wavering.

"NO!" The shout ripped itself out of Ray’s throat, so loud it left him hoarse. "No! Ryan!" He pulled away from Geoff and collapsed in front of the empty frame. "Ryan, you bastard! You can’t just _leave_  us here! We need you!” He punched his fists into the ground. “You can’t-” His voice broke and Geoff dropped down next to him, wrapping his arm around Ray’s shoulder.

Ray’s small frame shook as Geoff rubbed his arms, whispering small words of comfort to the younger man. The look Ryan gave them still haunted Geoff, and he couldn’t get it out of his head. However, he ignored the ugly feeling in his chest in favor of comforting Ray.

After a moment, Ray quieted enough to ask. “What are we going to do? We’ve lost our king.”

Geoff paused and then stood and walked back over to the stairs.

"Geoff?" Ray called, voice raw.

Geoff turned around, holding Ryan’s crown, which Ray had dropped, in his hand. He ran his thumb over the etchings in the metal and then sighed, holding it out to Ray. “I think it’s your turn.”


	3. King Ray

"Ray? Come on, it’s time," Jack called from the doorway.

Ray sighed and set his hand mirror down on the vanity before him. He stood from his chair and turned around, the feel of new clothes sliding against his body. The rich fabric was a present from Geoff that he greatly appreciated, but it felt too formal for him. Underneath it his body was pale and gaunt, but he looked much better than he had in the days following Ryan’s death.

Geoff and Ray had returned from Ryan’s secret room shaking and, in Ray’s case, with tears still threatening to spill over. They knew they couldn’t tell the city what had really happened to Ryan, but they also couldn’t say he disappeared. That would only result in search parties, and it would give the people false hope. No, they needed to announce Ryan’s death.

Geoff informed a few of their most trusted knights of what Ryan had really done, but told the others that he had passed away from a sudden ailment that had struck him in the night. The news spread through the kingdom, and for the second time that year the people of Achievement City grieved together.

When Jack, Michael and Gavin heard the news, they immediately rushed to Geoff to get the full story, and he told them the truth. Ray could see on their faces the same sick feeling that he had in his stomach, the horrible guilt that was threatening to consume him. Though he knew that what happened to Ryan was a choice of his own, Ray couldn’t ignore the feeling that he was responsible for Ryan’s decision. 

The funeral took place four days later, and the whole kingdom turned out to attend. Ray and the others, being the closest to Ryan, led the procession. They wore matching black cloaks over their finest clothes, and helped prepare the ceremony. 

At dawn Geoff stood on the beach near the throne room, the other four by his side. 

"Nearly two years ago, I stepped down from the throne to give one of the bravest men I knew a chance to rule the land we both cared for. He courageously led this kingdom in it’s first battle, and protected Achievement City as well as I could have hoped. He then proved himself to be a kind and fair king, far more than I could have ever asked for." 

Geoff stepped down closer to the water and the boat where Ryan’s “body” lay. “Despite his faults, he was one of the greatest friends I’ve ever had, and helped this kingdom to grow and prosper more than I was able to. I don’t regret handing the crown to him, nor following him into battle or standing by his decisions. He was a noble king, and I only wish-"

He stopped, throat closing up. Bowing his head, he composed himself and steadied his breathing, then reached for the torch Ray held. “He will not be forgotten.”

Geoff kneeled on the beach and whispered, “Goodbye.” Then, quiet enough that only the other four could hear, “I’m sorry.”

He tossed the torch onto the boat, and shoved it with his foot, letting the craft drift farther out into the ocean. The kingdom watched silently as the boat went up in flames, and then they slowly started to file back into the city. Soon, only the five were left shivering on the edge of the water. 

The question now, was, who would be king? Ryan didn’t have any next of kin. The people turned to Geoff, since they still respected their former king and trusted his judgement. 

Geoff spent some time deliberating with the others, and holding meetings with some of the nobles in the city. In the back of his mind, however, he had already made his decision.

Two days after the funeral, Geoff called a city-wide meeting. He stood at the top of the steps to the throne room with the four men by his side and the city at his feet. 

"In the time before his death, King Haywood presented one of us with the crown and declared that that man should be king. I’ve spoken with the others and they agree that this man has a right to the throne, if only he accepts it." 

Geoff turned to the others and gestured to the youngest of the group. “Ray Narvaez Jr, you have the authority over the crown and Achievement City. Do you accept this responsibility?” 

Ray swallowed. Geoff had warned him that he had been chosen, and he still wasn’t quite sure he wanted that much power. The kingdom barely knew him. He didn't have any experience making tough decisions for the good of the people. He didn't know how to be kind, firm, sympathetic, intimidating, and respectful all at once. How could he be expected to take over? Ryan had been the strongest man Ray had known, and even he had bowed under the pressure of being king. How could Ray be any different?

However, looking over the crowd, he knew that they needed someone to rule them. There was really only one thing he could do. He owed Ryan that much.

Ray stepped forward and nodded. “I accept.”

"Very well," Geoff proclaimed. "Your coronation will be held two evenings from now."

With that, the five men stepped back and the city was dismissed. Ray let out the heavy breath he’d been holding and sagged against the wall. 

"Hey."

He looked up and saw Michael standing in front of him.

"You’ll be okay, man. The people like you enough, how hard can it be?" He gave Ray a small smile and then walked past him and down the side steps leading out into the courtyard. Gavin flashed him a reassuring grin and then ran down after Michael.

Geoff and Jack approached him. 

"How can I possibly rule this kingdom by myself? There’s so much responsibility, I don’t know if I can-"

Jack held out his hand. “Ryan had those same concerns when he first became king.”

"But you saw what happened to him. What if I can’t handle it either? What if I end up like him?" Ray fretted, turning the fabric of his cape over in his hands. 

Geoff shook his head. “You weren’t around before the battle, Ray, but Ryan started out as an amazing king. I wasn’t lying at his funeral when I said that he helped this kingdom in ways I never could. Maybe he wasn’t as stable as we thought, but he was a damn good man, and I think that if you could find it in yourself to let go of your doubts you could be even better than him.”

Ray was silent. He couldn’t erase all the guilt and fears he had, but maybe he could look past them and try to be the king Achievement City needed.

Now it was the night of his coronation, and the doubts were creeping up on him again. He was young and relatively new to the city. Would the people trust him enough to rule them? Could he do this for the rest of his life?

"Ray?" Jack repeated, stepping farther into the room. "Are you okay?"

Ray nodded and moved back from the vanity. “Yeah, just a little shaky is all. Nothing big.”

Jack tilted his head in sympathy. “You’ll be okay, Ray. You’re not alone. The four of us will be there for you throughout the whole thing.”

"I know," Ray sighed.

Jack clapped him on the shoulder, and then gave him a little push out of the door. They walked in silence down the hall until they reached the large doors leading into the throne room.

"I’m going to go on ahead. Come in when you’re ready, okay? But don’t keep them waiting too long." Jack smiled and slipped through the door. Muffled voices drifted from the crack between the doors, then cut off as they shut.

Ray swallowed. He could back out. He could leave, go back to his old village, make a life for himself. He could live the rest of his life trying to escape Ryan's ghost.

He shook his head. The city was expecting him.

Straightening his cloak, Ray took a deep breath and then nodded to the guards. They bowed a little and then swept open the doors. The voices in the throne room hushed and the murmur of speech was replaced by the sound of shuffling feet as people turned to get a look at Ray. He steeled himself and then stepped forward, walking with a steady stride to the front of the room. His cloak fanned out behind him as his boots clacked against the stone. When he reached the steps up to the throne, he ascended them to where Geoff stood and then kneeled at the older man’s feet.

"Ray Narvaez Jr, do you swear to rule over Achievement City with your greatest judgement and fairest mind? Do you swear to uphold the laws of the land as they are written, and take the most honorable course for the kingdom?" Geoff recited, hands clasped in behind his back.

"I do," Ray said clearly, his voice ringing out through the room.

"Do you swear to protect the people of Achievement City, and care for their needs as if they were yours? Do you swear to put the good of the kingdom above all else, and let nothing come between you and what is best for the land?"

"I do," Ray repeated.

Geoff reached to the side and grabbed the crown from where it sat on a small pedestal. The new crown was crafted from the best gold and infused with red stone designs of roses, so that every time it was touched it glowed with a soft light. Jack had spent the past two days making sure it reflected all the grace and power that Ray himself showed, and was worthy of the new king.

"Then, if there are no objections, I crown you, Ray Narvaez Jr, the new king of Achievement City. May you live the long and prosperous life of a true king." Geoff placed the crown on Ray’s dark hair, the metal ring glowing softly as its weight settled on his head.

Ray stood as Gavin shouted from behind him, “Long live the King!”

"Long live the King!" the people in the crowd repeated. "Long live the King!"

Ray turned to face them, inclining his head slightly as he sat in the throne.

The cheers died down and the people slowly filed out of the room. As the last of them exited, Ray slumped into the throne and closed his eyes. He would have thought the past ten minutes were all a dream if not for the reassuring weight of the crown on his head.

"Well, you survived the coronation," Geoff said.

Ray opened his eyes and looked at his four closest friends. They all were smiling at him, and he couldn’t resist the urge to return the gesture.

"Now if only I can do good on my promises," he replied.

As he said it, he knew that even if he couldn’t, he had to try. If not for himself or the kingdom, then for Ryan. He would do what Ryan couldn’t, even if he lost in the process.

* * *

Ray spent the majority of his days presiding quietly over the kingdom. He paid respectful visits to the villages when he had the time, and used his remaining hours to enjoy himself with the other four.

Not long after his coronation, the city seemed to unanimously decide that Ray had proved himself to be the best king they had ever had. He was calmer than both Geoff and Ryan had been, and listened to his people’s problems while taking care of them at the same time. The people also felt more comfortable coming to Ray with their concerns. He held the commanding aura of a king, but also was approachable and friendly. They respected him, but thought of him as their brother as well.

The kingdom was lucky in that there were no major issues in the year following Ray’s crowning. Ray didn’t desire land or power like Ryan had, and so posed no threat to Achievement City’s neighboring kingdoms. Even with the lack of threats to the land, Ray still had Michael run near daily drills with their band of knights, just in case of an attack. Ray attempted to attend as many of these sessions as he could, and occasionally joined in to freshen his skills with sword and bow alike.

A light January snow had begun to fall over the kingdom when Ray approached the training field. He could see Michael and Gavin wrestling in the grass and smiled fondly at them. As he neared them he caught snatches of their conversation.

"Hey, Michael! HEY!" Gavin squeaked, scrambling out from under the knight and to his feet.

Michael let out a bark of amused laughter and bounced up. “Get back here, bitch. You’re mine now.”

Michael reached out a hand and grabbed Gavin’s shoulder, pulling the man back towards him and spinning him around. Gavin grunted as the meat of Michael’s palm connected with his chest, and the younger man fell back to the ground, wheezing. 

Ray chuckled. “I think he’s got you beat, Gav.”

Michael whirled around and bowed when he spotted Ray. “Good evening, sire.”

Ray snorted. “Quit it, asshole. You know I hate it when you do that.”

Michael grinned and looked up at him from under his bangs, still bowed at the waist. “I can never resist.”

Gavin was still coughing from the ground when Ray reached out a gloved hand, offering it to the man. Gavin took it gratefully, glaring at Michael as Ray helped him to his feet. “You always pull cheap moves like that.”

"It wasn’t cheap at all! It was completely fair. You’re just shit," Michael defended. 

"I am not-" Gavin shot back.

"To be honest, you’re much better with a bow than you are with your hands," Ray said.

Gavin scowled. “I thought you were supposed to be the nice king.”

"I take offence to that. It wasn’t very respectful of you," Ray teased.

Gavin didn’t say anything, but his pout deepened until both Michael and Ray were laughing.

"What are you idiots doing out here anyway? It’s cold as hell," Ray asked, tightening his cloak around his shoulders. 

"I was finishing up a sparring session when Gavin showed up. The other knights all went inside, but Gavin wanted me to show him some pointers, so I kindly demonstrated, and that led us to me beating Gavin to the ground," Michael recounted.

Ray huffed out a soft laugh and nodded. “All right, well come on inside. I can’t have you two freezing to death out here.”

"Aw, come on Ray. Just one more?" Gavin pleaded.

Michael snorted. “You were getting your ass beat, I think it’s time we call it quits.”

Gavin crossed his arms. “Fine,” he huffed.

Ray and Michael laughed, and the three of them made their way back to the throne room.

As their group passed by the edge of the forest, a deep sound reverberated through the air, stopping Ray in his tracks. His stomach dropped violently and he swallowed.

"Did you guys hear that?" he whispered hoarsely.

Michael turned away from his conversation with Gavin. "Hear what?" He saw the look on the king’s face and immediately tensed, going for his sword.

Gavin followed suit, reaching for the bow on his back and positioning himself in a more steady stance. “Was it a zombie moan? Or a skeleton?”

"No, no, nothing like that…" Ray bit his lip and peered into the darkness of the forest. "It was almost like…"

"C’mon, Ray. What was it?" Michael questioned impatiently, spinning his sword around.

"It sounded like a Nether portal, okay?" Ray snapped.

The other two stopped and glanced at each other. Michael gripped his sword tighter as Ray turned to Gavin.

"Go get some knights and meet us back here. Michael and I will investigate," Ray commanded, grabbing his bow with one hand and an arrow with the other.

Gavin nodded and ran off towards the castle. Ray and Michael started in through the trees, stepping lightly through the dead grass and slipping through the bare branches of oak trees. The snow was falling harder now and both of them were shivering.

"Maybe we should wait for the others, sire. If it is a Nether portal, it’s not going anywhere anytime soon."

"If it is a Nether portal, then the longer we wait, the more chance there is of someone stumbling on it, or something wandering out of it," Ray said darkly, clutching his bow tighter. He hadn’t forgotten the fact that for a portal to appear in this world, someone would have needed to pass through one in the other world. And there was only one person he knew of that could be in the Nether.

It seemed Michael had thought of the same thing. “Do you think it’s him?” Michael whispered, his footsteps crunching on the grass and snow.

Ray shook his head. “I don’t know. We never went to look for his body, but Geoff was pretty damn sure he was gone. Now… I don’t know.”

Michael was quiet. They searched the area, but couldn’t find anything, and they didn’t hear the sound again.

"Maybe someone deconstructed it?" Michael volunteered.

"Whoever it was wouldn’t have had time. Even with diamond it takes forever to take one down."

Michael paused for a second, and then mumbled, “Are you sure you didn’t imagine it?”

Ray stopped, his breath catching in his throat. “I- no! No, I couldn’t have. I felt it in my chest, it was  _there_.” But now he wasn’t so sure.

"Me and Gavin didn’t hear anything, and you and Geoff both said how loud it was. We were standing right next to you," Michael pointed out.

Ray clutched his sleeve in his fist, running his hand over the fabric. “I heard it. I swear to God, Michael.”

Michael held up his hands, “Okay, okay, I believe you. Let’s keep looking, all right?”

Ray nodded and turned, quickly walking farther into the forest. The sun had started to set and they still hadn’t found anything. Ray’s toes felt like blocks of ice in his boots and his fingers were numb and thick.

"Where the hell is Gavin?" Michael mumbled, suppressing a shiver.

"I don’t know, but maybe we-" Ray began when he heard a hissing behind him. "CREEPER!" he shouted, grabbing Michael’s arm and diving behind a tree as the green creature swelled and exploded.

The boom rang in his ears as clumps of dirt and bits of bark flew past his face. The two of them huddled behind the tree until the ground settled, and then stood, scanning the area for more monsters. They heard a rustling far off in the trees and Ray drew his bow, focusing in on the darkness between the branches. Michael stood tense next to him, sword clutched tightly in his hand when a group of men burst through the trees, stopping in front of the pair. Geoff held his hands up, eyes focusing on the deadly tip of Ray’s arrow aimed at his face.

"Whoa, whoa!"

Ray immediately drew back with a curse, dropping his bow to his side.

"Oh thank God you’re okay," Jack sighed, taking in the appearance of the two men.

"We heard the creeper detonate and came running. Sorry we weren’t here earlier. Gavin got us lost," Geoff explained.

"I swore we were closer to the training field when we left!" Gavin said indignantly.

"You’re not hurt, are you?" Geoff asked, ignoring Gavin.

Michael shook his head, “A couple of scratches, maybe, and a bruise where Ray’s elbow smashed into my ribs.”

"Hey, I saved your life," Ray quipped, a smile pulling at his lips.

Michael grinned, but the smile turned down into a worried frown when he looked at Ray. “You’re bleeding.”

Ray reached up and touched the skin above his left eyebrow. He pulled away and his fingers came back slicked over with a sticky red substance. “It’s just a scratch. I’m fine,” he promised, but Geoff and Jack approached him anyway.

Jack studied the cut and tsked lightly. “I’ll patch you up when we get back to the city. You’re lucky you thought to get behind the tree, or this could have been a lot worse.” He pointed to the tree and Ray swallowed. The bark was littered with slivers of wood, some as long as Ray’s forearm.

"I guess you did save my life," Michael murmured, rubbing his ribs lightly.

"All right, let’s get you two back to the castle," Geoff said, pushing the two of them lightly.

"Did you guys find the portal?" Michael questioned.

Geoff paused, remembering why they were out there in the first place. “No, we didn’t see any sign of it. Didn’t hear anything, either.”

Ray winced, avoiding Michael’s stare.

"You probably heard a creeper detonate or something. You know how loud they can be," Jack reasoned, shrugging.

Ray nodded, “Yeah, you’re probably right.” But the feeling of unease that had settled in his stomach when he first heard the noise didn’t cease. The group walked together towards the castle, the band of knights surrounding Ray and keeping watch for more monsters. The others chatted among themselves, but Ray couldn’t stop thinking about what he had heard. He didn’t believe for a second that what he had heard was a creeper. The deep bass of the Nether portal had haunted him ever since the day of Ryan’s death. Nothing else sounded remotely like it. He knew that he hadn’t imagined it, for it sounded much too real. But for now it wouldn’t do him any good to make the others worry about it. He could wait until there was more evidence, and then deal with it later.

That evening the five of them sat around the table, drinking and laughing and enjoying themselves. Dinner had ended almost an hour ago, and now the others were spending their time getting drunk while Ray brewed at the table, twisting an arrow between his fingers. The possibility of Ryan returning had never occurred to him. He’d long since accepted Ryan’s death, even started enjoying himself again, but now the doubt was back.

Could it even be possible that Ryan had somehow survived a year in the Nether with only a diamond sword and suffering from blood loss? And if he did survive, how much had the hellish realm changed him? Would he even be recognizable?

"You feeling okay, Ray?" Gavin asked, leaning towards the young King, breath smelling strongly of alcohol.

Ray nodded. “Yeah, I’m fine.” He rubbed the cut over his eyebrow, freshly patched by Jack.

"You still thinking about your imaginary Nether portal?" Michael joked, a sloppy grin on his face.

Ray repressed a wince, nearly snapping the arrow he was holding in half. “No, I-“

"C’mon, guys, don’t tease him," Geoff said, words slightly slurring. "He’s been under a lot of stress lately. It’s not his fault there was no portal."

"Yeah, except I almost froze my ass off out there looking for the fucking thing," Michael retorted.

"And almost got blown up by a creeper," Gavin added.

Michael nodded, “Yeah, that too.”

"Hey now, seriously, lay off him," Jack said, probably the most sober of the four of them.

"No, no, it’s okay. I think I’m just going to head to bed anyway." Ray stood, pushing his chair back from the table and stretching.

"Aw Raaaaaay," Gavin whined, "Don’t go."

"We didn’t mean it Ray, seriously," Michael said.

"It’s okay guys, it’s just been a long day. I’ll see you all tomorrow." Ray gathered up his things and stood behind his chair.

Geoff looked like he wanted to say something, but his mouth remained closed, so Ray exited the room, the guards at the door bowing respectfully as he passed.

Ray debated actually doing what he said he was going to and retire for the night, but his restless feet took him in the opposite direction of his quarters. He didn’t have any specific destination in mind, but eventually he found himself in the entrance to the castle’s library. A shiver passed through him as he stood in front of the polished oak doors. Unconsciously he reached out and pushed one of them open. The door creaked on its hinges, but swung easily and he stepped inside.

He’d hardly entered this room in the past year. It was more frigid than the others, the fire in the grate gone cold not long after Ryan died. No one had bothered to re-light it; it seemed he wasn’t the only one who didn’t like going in there.

Against his better instincts, Ray let the door close behind him as his feet took him to the far left bookcase. None of the five could figure out where the button to close the secret door was, so it had remained open all this time. Once again, Ray made another poor decision and walked back out into the hall, grabbed a torch and then returned to the secret door, descending the stairs without another thought.

The animals had been cleared out of the room, which left it almost more disturbing than before. All the empty pens sat forlornly against the wall, wood rotting in the dampness of the underground room. 

Ray forwent the pens and approached the abandoned portal frame at the back of the wall. The light from his torch cast unsteady shadows on the imposing structure, and made the obsidian shine dully. He ran his fingers along the uneven mineral, tracing the imperfections as he went. Ray could almost feel the ghost of the sound it once made thrumming just beneath the surface. If he concentrated enough, he could nearly convince himself that the structure was warm to the touch, even though it should feel like ice.

Ray sighed, the old feelings of grief and regret resurfacing once again. He wouldn’t let himself cry anymore, but he couldn’t stop the pressure behind his eyes, nor the sick feeling in his stomach. He should have tried harder to help Ryan. He should have seen what was happening. He should have  _known_.

He groaned, the hand resting on the obsidian clenching into a fist as he pressed his forehead to the cool stone.

"I thought you’d given up on me."

Ray whirled around, torch flickering erratically at the sudden onset of air and almost extinguishing. His heart hammered wildly in his chest as he peered into the darkness. 

"Who’s there?" he called out, refusing to look weak.

There was no answer, even after he repeated the question. He stepped away from the portal and back towards the staircase, dearly wishing he was armed with something other than a torch. 

He reached the stairs but saw nothing. There was no sign there had been anyone down here but him.

A shaky breath left his lungs and he sank into a crouch, rubbing the bridge of his nose. He hadn’t heard the voice in nearly a year, but he was almost positive it belonged to the man who was supposedly dead or, at the very least, trapped in the Nether indefinitely. 

Ray knew that if Ryan was back he should be at least somewhat happy. One of his closest friends was alive and back in their realm. But he wasn’t even closed to happy.

He was terrified.

* * *

It only took a couple of weeks for the others to forget about the Nether portal Ray had claimed to have heard. It took just about as long for Ray to convince himself that his overactive imagination, intensified by the day’s events and him being in the secret room, had made up Ryan’s voice. There was no way he could have heard Ryan. Ryan was dead and he wasn’t coming back.

Then it happened again. 

Ray had been out fishing with Jack, one of the rare times he got to spend with the man. He’d gone back to the wall of furnaces to cook his fish. As he had waited, he sat against one of the trees in the area, closing his eyes for a moment. He’d just about fallen asleep when the whisper caused his eyes to fly open in panic.

"I see you took my suggestion to heart."

Ray had scrambled to his feet, hand flying to his sword automatically. The voice had been so close; he had sworn he could almost feel breath on the back of his neck.

Just like before, there had been no one in sight. A feeling of dread had pooled in his stomach as his eyes scanned the area, despite knowing he wouldn’t find anything.

"You okay?" Jack had asked from behind him, clapping Ray on the shoulder.

Ray'd jumped again, spinning around and biting his tongue hard in the process.

"Whoa, jeez. Take it easy. What’s the matter?" Jack had soothed, hand reaching out to pry Ray’s fingers from his sword handle.

"I, um," Ray had swallowed, his throat dry. "I thought I saw a creeper. It was nothing."

Jack had frowned. “Are you sure? You’re pale as a ghost.”

Ray had nodded. “I’m sure. Really, it’s fine.”

Jack had studied his face for a moment before finally nodding in satisfaction. “All right, ease up though, okay? You look about ready to jump out of your skin.”

Ray had laughed unsteadily, and had moved to check on his fish. He hadn't be able to restrain himself from glancing over towards the trees once again, but there had been no one but him and Jack in sight. 

That wasn’t the last time it happened, either. Over the next year, he heard Ryan’s voice every few weeks. He tried to ignore it, but the more he did, the more frequently it happened. The others were starting to worry about him. He wasn’t getting much sleep, and he hated being alone, but he never wanted to leave the castle. Soon, the people were going to notice their absent king and the rumors would start up again. The other four couldn’t help but draw parallels between Ray’s sudden reclusion and Ryan’s when he was king.

“You’ve noticed it to, then?” Geoff asked upon finding Jack standing in the entrance to Ray’s room, checking on the young King to make sure he was sleeping.

“I’m really worried, Geoff. He barely has any energy anymore. Even Gavin was complaining the other day that Ray never spends time with him and Michael.” Jack chewed nervously on his lower lip.

The two of them watched Ray’s chest slowly rise and fall, and then Jack closed the door, nodding at the knights standing guard across the hall.

“What do you think is going on?” Jack asked, falling into step beside Geoff as they made their way back towards their rooms.

Geoff shook his head. “I don’t know. It doesn’t really seem like he would go as far off the deep end as Ryan, but something is definitely going on.”

“We should really just talk to him,” Jack murmured.

“You’re right,” Geoff said, stopping at his door. “Let’s let him get some sleep. We’ll worry about it tomorrow.”

Jack nodded. “Goodnight, Geoff.”

“Night, Jack,” Geoff replied, slipping into his room and letting the door fall shut behind him.

Ray knew something was up in the morning when the other four acted especially kind to him. No teasing insults were thrown around at breakfast. It was quiet at the table for once, which Ray enjoyed. But despite how nice it was, it was also awkward and tense, and Ray wanted to know what was causing it.

“All right,” he finally said, placing his hands on the table. “What’s going on?”

The guilty looks on the other’s faces only confirmed his suspicions.

“Ray… We need to talk to you about something,” Michael finally said.

Ray’s stomach flipped. Despite having no inkling of their intentions, Michael’s tone suggested nothing good.

“Okay…” he prompted, trying to keep his voice from shaking.

“We’re concerned about your health, Ray,” Geoff admitted. “You’re not acting like yourself. You hardly sleep or eat, you’re jumpy, we never see you outside the castle anymore.” He sighed. “We just want to know what’s going on.”

Ray fiddled with the edge of his napkin. “I just haven’t been feeling well-”

“Bullshit,” Michael jumped in. “You’ve been like this for months now.”

“I don’t-”

“Ray,” Geoff warned. “Listen to us. You don’t have to lie, we want to help you.”

“Let us help you,” Gavin said, leaning towards Ray over the table.

Ray bowed his head and sighed. He couldn’t deny that he had wanted to tell them all for so long. “Okay, okay,” he swallowed. “For the past year, whenever I’m by myself... I-I've been hearing Ryan’s voice.”

The table was silent. It was obvious that whatever they had been expecting him to say, that wasn’t it.

“When did it start?” Geoff asked cautiously.

“The same day I heard the Nether portal. I went back into the library that night and into the secret room. I heard him at the stairs, but when I turned around he was gone.”

“Ray…” Jack started.

Ray held up a hand. “I know what you’re going to say, and I’m not crazy, okay? It’s not just in my head. I can  _hear_  him. It feels like he’s right behind me. But I don’t know what he wants.”

The others exchanged glances and finally Geoff spoke up. “All right, Ray. I believe you, but you need to tell us the next time you hear him, okay? We can look for him then.”

Ray clutched the napkin with his hand. “Okay. Thanks you guys.”

They stood together and left the room, separating to do their duties for the day. Ray breathed a sigh of relief when he reached his room. Maybe they didn’t believe him completely, but they didn’t think he was insane either, which was a lot better than he could have hoped for.

Ray didn’t have to wait long for Ryan’s voice to appear again. He was standing in the armory, sharpening the tips of his arrows when he heard it.

"You told them about me."

He jumped up, arrow clattering to the table as he whirled around. Like all the other times, there was no one in sight. He peered around the racks of weapons and even under the other tables but there was no trace of the former king.

Controlling his breathing, he rushed out of the room, grabbing onto the door frame and leaning into the hallway. He spotted a guard and gasped out, “Find Geoff.”

The guard nodded, straightening immediately upon seeing his frightened king. “Of course, sire.”

Ray returned to the room, placing his fists on the table and bowing his head. There were two other doors in the armory besides the main one, but Ray hadn’t heard either of them open or close. The whole thing was as frustrating as it was frightening.

"Where are you, Ryan?" he mumbled. 

The door burst open behind him, Geoff and Michael flying in after it.

"What the hell happened?" Michael questioned, taking in Ray’s disheveled appearance. 

"I heard him again," Ray answered. "He was right behind me."

Geoff immediately brushed past Ray, checking the room behind him as Michael continued to speak to Ray.

"You’re sure?"

"Of course I’m sure. I’m not an idiot," Ray snapped, still on edge.

Michael held up his hands in a placating gesture. “I get it, okay.”

"What did he say?" Geoff asked, head poking out from behind an armor stand.

Ray paused, then recited, “‘You told them about me’.”

Geoff was quiet for a moment before going back to searching. He disappeared out of one of the doors, leaving Michael to check the other one while Ray remained in the room, staring at the spot he knew Ryan would have been standing in.

Geoff and Michael returned not long after that, the looks on their faces already telling Ray what he needed to know without having to ask: they’d found nothing.

"He could have been standing in one of the doorways and left before you turned around. These hallways each lead off into half a dozen rooms. There’s no way to tell which one he used," Michael surmised, tapping on his sword hilt.

"You can have the guards continue the search if you want to, Ray," Geoff offered.

Ray bit his lip, about to decline, but eventually nodded his head. He called for the guards in the hall and instructed them to search the castle and, when they were finished, assign the other guards new positions in all the castle’s halls. He wanted every door watched.

The guard nodded, exiting the room in silence. 

Geoff and Michael looked to their king, but he didn’t say anything for a moment. Finally, as they were about to depart, Ray spoke up.

"You don’t have to believe me, but I’m not going endanger my kingdom because of something I could have prevented."

"I told you, Ray, I believe you," Geoff said. "And you know we only want what’s best for the kingdom as well. It would just make it easier if we had evidence."

"I understand," Ray replied. "I’ll be in my quarters if you need me."

"Of course," Geoff said, stepping back.

Ray left the room, picking up an arrow as he went. He drifted down the halls, absently running his finger up and down the flat edge of the arrowhead. Every so often he’d glance behind him, or double back to check a dark corner or behind a curtain. It was hard to trust his own castle now. He knew every inch of it, but Ryan had been king almost as long as Ray had, and could match Ray step for step. There was also the possibility of Ryan having other secret rooms that no one knew about.

He made it to his room and sank down onto his bed, head resting on the deep burgundy cover. Flinging his arm over his eyes, he sighed, knowing that there were other things he could be doing, but unable to bring himself to do them. There were so many other things on his mind, but he was exhausted despite himself.

Gasping, he sat up, head whipping around wildly, but saw nothing out of the ordinary. He rubbed his eyes and glanced around the room again. There was no light streaming in from the windows, as the sun must have set hours ago and the torches weren’t lit. He could barely make out the outlines of the objects in his room.

He stood slowly, taking care to stretch his cramped muscles. Then he made his way to the door, straightening his clothes as he went. The hallways were empty except for a few guards stationed at the large doors at the end of the hall. He made his way towards them.

"Dinner is being served right now, sire," one of the two informed him.

"Thank you," he replied, walking past them.

Ray followed the sound of laughter and clanking utensils down the hall and found his friends sitting around the table, eating happily.

They quieted as he entered, and didn’t resume speaking until he had sat down.

"None of you woke me for dinner," he accused lightly, leaning back in his chair.

"You needed the sleep, Ray," Jack said gently.

"The food could wait," Geoff added. Gavin and Michael voiced their agreement.

Ray nodded. “Makes sense.”

Michael paused. “You’re not… Upset?”

Ray raised an eyebrow, snorting a little. “Why would I have any reason to be mad? I don’t deny getting caught up on sleep was good for me.”

"We just figured…" Geoff started.

Ray held up a hand. “Look, guys. I appreciate how much you all care about my well-being, I do, and I’m not going to fight you about it. Plus, there’s no reason to be mad about getting a few extra hours in.”

Gavin let out a sigh of relief. “Geoff had us all worried that you would be pissed that you missed the training session.”

"Shut up, idiot," Geoff growled before grinning at Gavin.

Ray laughed with the others when Gavin kicked Geoff under the table, but missed and hit Michael, who retaliated and started a mini war between the two.

He spent the rest of the night enjoying himself for the first time in months. He could actually pay attention to conversation without feeling like he was going to collapse into his food, and he participated in the playful banter without snapping everyone’s heads off.

For a while, Ray stopped worrying.

* * *

Ray went without hearing Ryan for nearly six months. He stopped flinching every time a breath of wind hit the back of his neck. He stopped checking every inch of a room before he spent time in it. He stopped looking over his shoulder everywhere he went. For six months, Ray felt safer than he had in a long time.

He’d like to attribute the lack of Ryan’s voice to the increase in security around the castle. However, he couldn’t shake the feeling that Ryan would show up whether there was security or not. No, Ryan not appearing was his own choice, and that alone kept Ray on his toes.

"Fuck, it’s hot as dicks out here," Michael panted, throwing his sword to the ground.

"Yeah," Ray replied. Normally he’d go for something a little more clever than that, but it was way too hot to find the energy.

The training session had been scheduled for later that night since the days had been getting so hot lately, but Ray had a meeting in the evening and didn’t want to miss it, so he pushed the session forward. They hadn’t counted on the day deciding to become the hottest the kingdom had seen all summer.

"Let’s call it a day," Ray shouted.

The knights let out a collective sigh of relief, immediately stripping off layers of armor and clothes and running to the lake they were near.

"You going to join in?" Michael asked, dropping his armor near his feet.

Ray shook his head. “Nah, I need to go prepare for the meeting.”

"What’s so important about that meeting anyway?" 

Ray shrugged. “One of the nearby kingdoms is having some problems with their neighbors and wants to know if we can help out.”

Michael glanced over, wiping his bangs off his sweaty forehead. “What are you going to tell them?”

"Not sure yet," Ray said, pulling his shirt away from his hot skin. "I guess I’ll see what they have to say."

"Well, good luck," Michael wished him.

Ray nodded. “Thanks.”

Michael ran off to push Gavin in the water, laughing at his squeak of surprise. Ray smiled at them and moved to hang up his armor and sword. He kept his bow on him like normal, but only took three arrows with him; he didn’t need to carry too many for a casual walk through the trees. 

His trek back to the castle was quiet. He didn’t see anyone on his way back and only heard the sounds of a few pigs hiding in the trees. The shade of the tall oaks provided a nice respite from the blazing heat of day. A slight breeze whooshed through the branches, cooling the sweat from Ray’s skin. He closed his eyes, allowing himself a chance to relax.

From farther into the thicket of trees came a low noise that rumbled through the ground, vibrating up through Ray’s feet. He stuttered to a stop as his heart rate picked up. A feeling of dread settled in his gut, spreading thick and heavy through his veins.

Against his better judgement, he followed the sound through the trees.The wild grass grew rampant and tall in this area, and it brushed against his legs with every movement. Every few seconds the sound would cease and he would wait for it to return before continuing on again. All at once the sound became louder, and his pace automatically slowed. He knew he should call for the others, or at least get his sword, but his path didn’t stray from the source of the noise.

At last he came upon a clearing in the grass and woods. A hole stood off to the side, disappearing into a system of caves Ray had never come across before. The sound was coming from the hole, and it seemed to call to him unconsciously. His feet pulled him in the direction of the noise. He was almost to the cave when he heard his name from the other side of the clearing. He spun around, searching the shadows. It was too dark under the trees for him to see anything, and for a minute he thought he had imagined it. Then his name was whispered across the wind, but this time from closer to the cave.

"Ray…" The word drifted to him from different places around the clearing, seemingly coming from everywhere at once. "Ray."

Ray followed each uttering of the word with his gaze, eyes wildly flickering back and forth along the tree line.

Finally, his name filling his head, he cried out, “WHAT? WHAT DO YOU WANT WITH ME?”

The noise stopped and he stood still, ears straining to pick out the smallest sound.

Someone chuckled behind him. He turned and saw a man standing at the tree line, half covered in shadow.

The man stepped forward, his face revealed as it caught the light. Ray gasped despite himself, disbelief coursing through him.

Ryan hadn’t changed as much as Ray would have thought. He was thinner, and his jaw was covered with fair stubble, but the most jarring difference in his appearance was the thick scar that ran from the bottom of Ryan’s right eye down to the edge of his jaw. It had healed over, but not cleanly, and the jagged edges marred Ryan’s face.

"How…" Ray whispered, shock forcing the words from his lips.

Ryan smiled and the scar warped on his skin. “I missed you too.”

"I don’t- How are you alive?"

"Luck? Strength? The will to live?" Ryan shrugged. "It doesn’t really matter does it?"

"Of course it does!" Ray shouted. "We thought you were dead! We mourned! How the hell did you make it out alive?"

Ryan scoffed. “I find it hard to believe you really cared all that much.”

Ray gaped at him. “You don’t- Ryan, you may have made some mistakes, but you were still one of the best friends I had. You don’t think that mattered to me? How could you think I wouldn’t grieve for you?”

"You seemed well enough to take my place," Ryan said, nodding to Ray’s head.

Ray reached up, fingers skimming over the crown that sat nestled in his dark hair. “We needed a king. Geoff thought it best that I-“

"You took my place, and my home," Ryan said darkly. "You took my  _kingdom_. How could you do that to me?”

"Ryan, we thought you were dead! We couldn’t look for you because it’s against the law. You have to believe me. If we thought there was some way you could have survived we would have found a way to get you."

"I lived in that hell for more than a year," Ryan snapped. "I discovered ways to survive that you could never imagine. I suffered, and starved, and killed my way through that realm to keep myself alive. I lived through it all." He stalked closer to Ray, until he was standing right in front of him, close enough for Ray to see smaller, fresher scars littered across the man’s skin. "I survived to make myself stronger, so I could come back and rule my kingdom with all I have. Achievement City is my home, and I plan to take it back."

Ray stood up straighter, drawing up to his full height. ”Then why don’t you take it from me right now? You have the upper hand,” Ray challenged, gesturing to Ryan’s bloodied and scratched, but still intact, diamond sword.

Ryan shook his head. “Now is not the time. From what I understand, the people like you. They think you’re a great king. If I take it from you, I come off as the bad man. No, I can’t take it at the moment.” He cocked his head and locked gazes with Ray. For a moment, Ray saw a flicker of Ryan’s old self in his eyes. The compassion was quickly smothered down, however, and replaced with Ryan’s new, cold gaze.

Ray swallowed back the thickness in his throat. He wanted to believe that Ryan wouldn’t take the throne from him because he remembered how close he and Ray used to be, but the apathy in Ryan’s eyes was hard to look past. “Ryan, please, just come with me. We can talk to the others and we can fix you up. I’m sure they’ll be more than happy to see you back. Just-“

“Try to understand, Ray. This isn’t personal, but the kingdom is mine to rule. It doesn't belong to anybody else." Ryan's eyes flashed. "That includes you.”

 Ryan stepped forward and raised his hand. Ray faltered backwards as Ryan swung forward, and a blast of pain radiated out from the side of Ray’s head. He crumpled to the ground, eyes flickering shut when his knees made jarring contact with the dirt. His last look caught the regretful expression that flashed across Ryan’s face before he saw no more.

* * *

"Hey, Michael, have you seen Ray anywhere?"

Michael glanced up as Geoff entered his room. The sky had started to noticeably darken, and so Michael had been changing into more decent clothes for dinner with the others. His eyebrows drew together at Geoff’s question.

"No, not since he left for his meeting. Why?"

Geoff chewed on his lower lip. “He never showed up to the meeting. I thought maybe he had skipped to continue training with you guys.”

Michael shook his head. “We cut the session short because it got too hot, and Ray left to get ready for the meeting. Has anyone seen him since then?”

"No," Geoff said shortly, turning on his heel and rushing back out the door.

Michael grabbed his sword off his bed and strapped it to his waist, hurrying to catch up to Geoff. “Are you sure he’s not just somewhere in the castle or on the grounds?”

"I’ve looked everywhere. I can’t find him."

Michael swallowed, worry twisting in his stomach. “You find the others. I’m going to gather the knights. Meet in the throne room in ten minutes and we’ll start looking for him.”

Geoff nodded, rushing off towards the other men’s quarters as Michael split off down the other hallway. He shouted at every knight he passed to gear up and go to the throne room to await instruction. None of them doubted their head knight, and did exactly as he said. Michael himself headed towards the armory where he slid on an iron chest plate and adjusted his sword so that it lay right on his hip for easy access. As he got ready his mind raced. It wasn’t like Ray to miss a meeting, even one he didn’t want to go to. Michael hated to admit it, but his mind was already assuming the worst, and he couldn’t rush back to the throne room fast enough.

When he arrived the room was swarming with knights. He found Geoff, Jack and Gavin standing on the steps leading up to the throne and joined them there. The knights quieted as he approached, and the room was nearly silent when he finally turned to address the crowd.

"Ray is missing," he started, not wanting to delay any longer. "It is our job as knights to not only protect and defend the kingdom, but our king as well. We cannot stand by while he is out there on his own, especially as it grows closer to nightfall and monsters begin to appear. I will assign groups to cover different sections of the kingdom, and we will not stop until he his found. Do I have your word?"

Shouts of affirmation filled the hall, and a few knights held up their swords and bows above their heads.

Michael nodded, “Good. Stand by for your assignment.”

He went around and clumped groups of knights together, sending them out to search different parts of the kingdom. When all the knights had left the hall he turned to the three behind him.

"Are you ready?" he asked.

"Let’s go find our little Ray," Gavin crowed, smiling despite the situation.

They hustled out of the hall, heading down to the area near the water. The undergrowth in this area was high, so they made sure to check it thoroughly in case Ray was hidden by it.

"You know," Jack murmured after a while, parting the grass with his sword. "There’s a very real chance we could find him, and he’s really injured, or even-"

"Stop, Jack, we know," Geoff cut him off, swinging his sword through a cluster of branches particularly maliciously. "That’s why we have to find him now."

They continued their trek through the woods, stopping every so often to place another torch, or search the occasional tree.

"This isn’t working," Michael eventually snapped. "We need to cover more ground. Let’s split up."

Geoff paused. “Michael, I’m not sure that’s such a-“

"We’ll stay near each other, but we need to spread out and get a better look at more of the land."

The two of them stared at each other for a moment before Geoff finally conceded. “All right, let’s do it.”

The four branched off in different directions, making sure they were still in shouting distance before continuing on. The sun had finally set, and Michael could hear spiders and zombies in the distance. They were at home in the dark, unlike Michael, and his guard immediately went up, hand tightening around the hilt of his sword.

A branch snapped next to him. He jumped to the side as an arrow came whistling past his ear, sticking hard in a tree behind him. A skeleton followed seconds later. Its bones clicked together as it stalked him through the trees, bow swinging wildly. He dodged another arrow, grateful that it took so long for the skeleton to react. His sword slashed through the skeleton’s spine right as it launched another arrow, barely missing Michael’s shoulder.

Michael let out a heavy breath, picking up the skeleton’s bow. He slung it over his shoulder and retrieved the arrows as he continued on. He didn’t encounter anymore monsters as he hurried through the trees, but every once in a while he’d hear a zombie moan as one of his friend’s picked them off.

His frustration level grew the more ground he covered. No word from the other knights had reached him, so he had no way of knowing if Ray had been found. Loyalty to his king mixed with fear for his friend combined to give him a more intense feeling of worry, something he hadn’t felt since his first battle with Ryan. He was really starting to panic when he stumbled across it.

The clearing appeared out of nowhere. He had been slashing his way through weeds and branches and suddenly he was in the middle of a lush and wide open area, lit by the watery light of the moon. Normally the area would have made him pause to admire its natural beauty, but something in the middle of it made all the blood drain from his body.

"Ray?" he gasped, surging forward. His feet pulled him to the side of his king, lying crumpled on the ground.

"Hey, Ray, look at me." He dropped to his knees and pulled Ray’s head into his lap.

Ray’s eyes weren’t entirely closed, but Michael could tell they weren’t focused on anything, his pupils blown wide and staring blankly.

"Ray, come on buddy, answer me."

Ray mumbled something Michael couldn’t make out and then his eyes shut completely, eyelashes fluttering. His head lolled to the side, cheek pressing into the heavy fabric of Michael’s trousers. Michael’s froze, unsure of what to do, before he began tearing at Ray’s shirt, searching for any sign of a wound. Ray’s chest was hardly moving when Michael revealed it, but there was nothing marring the skin. A small amount of blood was gathered at Ray’s temple, but other than that he saw nothing. His hands fluttered uselessly over Ray’s body, racking his brain for anything he could do. He swallowed, placing his hand over Ray’s chest and feeling the weak thumping of Ray’s heart.

Finally he let go of Ray and cupped his hands around his mouth, shouting, “I FOUND HIM. COME QUICKLY. PLEASE, HE’S HURT.”

His hands dropped back to Ray, brushing the hair out of Ray’s eyes. That’s when he noticed that there was no sign of his king’s crown anywhere in the clearing.

Jack was the first one to arrive, and he didn’t waste any time in carefully checking over Ray’s body as Michael had done moments before. When he was done he drew back, puzzled, and began to question Michael as Geoff and Gavin burst through the tree line.

"He’s alive," Jack announced before either of them could ask. "But we need to get him back to the castle now."

Jack moved to pick up Ray, but Michael pushed his hands away. “I’ve got him. You go on. Gavin, go start rounding up the knights. Geoff, you’re with me.”

Gavin nodded, sprinting off into the trees with Jack following behind. Michael gathered Ray into his arms and started back into the woods. Geoff stayed close to his side, glancing at Ray every so often.

"Was he awake when you found him?" Geoff asked between gulps of air, keeping pace with Michael.

Michael nodded. “Barely, but he passed out before I could get anything out of him.”

Geoff glanced over at Ray’s limp form in Michael’s arms and winced. “There was no wound?”

"Nothing. He had a little blood on his forehead but that’s it."

"At least we can say he was knocked out then, nothing too bad. But I’m worried about what, or who, did it. And why."

Michael swallowed. “Me too.”

Despite not weighing that much, Ray felt heavy in Michael’s arms, especially the more that they ran, so conversation trailed off from there. Geoff kept stealing glances at Ray, eyes scanning the young king’s face for any sign of movement. Michael did the same, and made sure to keep Ray’s head cradled tightly against his chest. He wished that finding Ray could have quenched his worry, but it looked like that wouldn’t be happening any time soon.

They reached the castle and Geoff pulled ahead of Michael so he could push open the doors. A few of the knights loitered around the throne room, waiting for their return. When Michael burst through the doors a few of them gasped, stepping back to make room for him.

"Where’s Jack?" he called out.

"I’m over here, Michael," Jack responded, waving from a door to the left of the hall.

Michael made his way over, Geoff following behind. Jack led them through the halls and to Ray’s room where Michael finally let go of his king. He placed Ray on his bed, the young King lying limply in the center of the sheets, then stepped back. Jack took over, checking Ray’s pulse and then beginning a more thorough search of his body. Michael and Geoff hung back, waiting anxiously for anything Jack had to report. Even though Jack wasn’t a healer by title, he was still the best they had in the kingdom concerning all things medicinal.

Gavin entered the room a few minutes later, out of breath and sweating. “I found all the knights,” he breathed quietly, “How’s Ray?”

"Not sure yet, buddy," Geoff responded, eyes swimming with worry.

"I hope he’s okay," Gavin whispered.

Michael sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Me too, Gav.”

They waited for Jack, leaning against the wall in silence. No one felt up to making conversation; all they could do was watch Jack as he looked over Ray’s body.

Eventually Jack pulled back with a sigh, sitting on the edge of the bed. “It doesn’t look like there’s any head trauma, and there are no other major injuries on his body.”

"So he’ll be fine?" Michael asked hopefully.

Jack frowned, “I’m afraid not. You said he was partially awake when you found him?”

Michael nodded. “Yeah, his eyes were really unfocused, but he tried to say something to me.”

"Well, since there seems to be nothing physically wrong with him, then I suspect someone has done something to him that's causing him to remain unconscious."

"What, like injured his brain or something?" Gavin asked.

Jack shook his head. “No, not quite. I think someone forced him to take a potion and it’s keeping him from waking up.”

Geoff frowned. “I’ve never heard of a potion capable of doing that.”

Jack shrugged, standing from the bed. “Your guess is as good as mine. All I can do now is try and see if I can make an antidote. Until then, I don’t think he’s waking up any time soon.”

"Christ," Geoff mumbled. The four of them watched Ray breathe, his chest rising and falling slowly.

Gavin frowned. “Where’s his crown?”

Michael clucked his tongue. “I noticed that when I found him. It wasn’t anywhere in the clearing.”

"Was he wearing it when you all were training today?" Jack asked.

Michael and Gavin both nodded. “He had it on when he left, I’m sure of it,” Michael said.

"Why would someone go through the trouble of poisoning him and taking his crown, but not kill him?" Gavin wondered aloud.

Michael rubbed the back of his neck. “I don’t know why, but I think I know who.”

The other three turned to him, questioning, but he could see in their eyes that they had figured it out too.

"And so the Mad King returns to take the throne," Jack murmured.

Michael looked past them at Ray, guilt piercing his heart. It was his primary responsibility as head knight to watch out for the King, and he had failed once before. He wouldn’t let that happen again, not to Ray. This time, he would make sure to protect Ray with everything he had, even if he had to kill the man he had once pledged undying loyalty to.

He unconsciously clenched his hands into fists.

"Let him try."


	4. King Michael

At first, the four of them tried to keep Ray's condition a secret. They knew how loved he was by the people and didn't want them to panic without their king. However, Ray's absence began to attract suspicion, and they were left with a decision to make: continue lying, or inform the people of Achievement City that they were without a king once again. Though they knew that there were consequences for both choices, they decided to take their chances and come clean.

The people gathered obediently once again in front of the throne room. Geoff delivered the news in a low voice, but loud enough to ring throughout the open space. Shock and disbelief spread through the crowd in waves. None of them could imagine why someone would want to harm their fair and noble king. In all the history of Achievement City, there had never been an attempt on any of the king's lives, and Ray was the least deserving of them all.

As the people recovered from the news, a new question sprung up from a few of them. Who would take over until Ray was fit to rule again?

Geoff quieted the crowd with an upraised hand, waiting patiently until the room was silent. Then he spoke, his voice calm and steady, "It has been decided that until King Ray is able to rule, it is only fitting that Sir Jones will take over his place as king."

Michael stood straight, not letting the judging gazes of the crowd affect him. He'd been head knight since Ryan's rule, and the people knew him, but they were unsure of his ability to make decisions that weren't on the battle field.

He bowed his head in Geoff's direction, quietly accepting his words, and Geoff dismissed the crowd.

"I can already tell this isn't going to work out very well," Michael mumbled as soon as the doors to the throne room closed heavily.

"Why not?" Geoff asked, raising an eyebrow.

Michael sighed. "The people are on edge. It's unusual for a kingdom to lose their king so often, and I'm probably not the best choice at the moment."

Jack frowned. "What makes you say that?"

Michael snorted and sat heavily into the throne. "I'm not a king. I'm a warrior. I don't  _do_  politics and charm. My specialty is combat, and physicality. I'm not enough. I'm not what this kingdom needs. They need Ray."

"Well you're going to have to suck it up then," Geoff snapped.

"What?" Michael scoffed, glancing up at Geoff.

Geoff glared at him in a rare show of anger. "Fucking cry me a river, Michael. So what if you're not exactly the perfect image of a king? You're the closest thing Achievement City has to a leader, and you know what? Ray isn't here right now. He  _can't_  be here right now. So you're either going to have to shape up and fix your attitude, or we're going to be in some serious shit." He leveled his stare at Michael. "Do you think Ray would want you acting like this?"

Michael's jaw clenched and his chest tightened, but he didn't back down. "What if I don't know how to be a king?"

Geoff stepped back and crossed his arms. "Then you'd better figure it out."

* * *

Michael may not have been king material, but he was never one to back down from a challenge. He had been leading Achievement City's army for years now, and though he never considered leading the entire kingdom, he soon found out it wasn't all too different.

He quickly adapted to his role as king, having no other choice than to rule or let the kingdom crumble. When Jack presented him with his crown, a thick silver band embedded with diamonds and etched patterns filled with coal dust to darken them, it helped him to visualize his new life. He continued to lead the knights, as no one else was near qualified enough, but he attended fewer and fewer training sessions as his duties as king took over.

The kingdom that had asked for assistance from Achievement City before Ray was attacked was still in need of help. It also happened to be Gavin's home kingdom. Michael gathered up a small group of knights and sent them out to aid the small kingdom. Gavin traveled with the group with instructions from Michael to see if the kingdom had seen any sign of Ryan. They returned a few weeks later, triumphant, but without any information on Ryan's whereabouts.

Michael returned to the clearing where he had found Ray's body multiple times over the next year. He explored the cave system with Geoff and Gavin, but despite it having numerous branches, they all stopped in dead ends, leaving them with more questions than answers.

Jack kept himself busy by working on an antidote for Ray. Every time he thought he had something figured out it turned out that he was nowhere near close enough to waking Ray. His frustration level was building higher and higher, to the point where it was affecting the others as well. Geoff snapped at them more often. Gavin took to the trees surrounding the castle and brooded. Michael threw himself into more and more training sessions, hacking harshly at practice dummies and accidentally harming more than one loyal knight.

Michael found himself many nights when he couldn't sleep drawn to Ray's chambers. He'd sit by Ray's bed and watch his even breathing, praying that somehow he'd wake up.

"I'm trying Ray, I really am. But no matter what I do..." he sighed. "I'm just not good enough. The people miss you.  _We_  miss you."

Michael winced at the last statement. It sounded more pathetic coming out than he had intended, but it was true nonetheless. Without Ray, the group was even weaker than it had been since Ryan had disappeared.

Michael spent every moment he wasn't checking on Ray or taking care of the kingdom's business looking for Ryan. He knew that Ryan would have a cure for Ray, and maybe he could convince his old king to give it to him...

Every time he suggested going back to the clearing, or checking out Ryan's secret room in the library, Geoff and Jack exchanged worried glances.

Finally, Geoff approached him as he was strapping on his armor, preparing yet again to venture down into the cave system.

"Hey, Michael..." he started.

Michael looked up. "Oh, hey Geoff. You wanna join me?"

"Ah, no. I'm sorry I've got some other things to attend to. I just wanted to talk to you for a second."

Michael's brows drew together. "All right. What about?"

Geoff shifted nervously on his feet, and suspicion twisted in Michael's stomach. "Geoff? What's this about?"

Geoff sighed. "Okay. I'm just gonna come out and say it." He sighed again. "Jack and I are worried about what will happen if you find Ryan."

"What do you mean?" Michael asked slowly.

"I mean," Geoff stated carefully, "that he was your first king. There's a bond there, an undying loyalty, that we're worried might resurface if you meet him again."

Michael stared at him, shock on his face. "You think I'd betray my kingdom for someone who poisoned one of my best friends?"

"No, Michael, I-"

"No, that's exactly what you're hinting at!" Michael cried. "You think I'm going to see Ryan and automatically join up with him? Just because he was my friend before? Because I killed to protect him? If you think I'd do something like that, then you're crazier than he is."

He viciously tightened the straps on his armor and turned away from Geoff.

"Michael, please just listen to me. You know how Ryan can be. I'm not saying that you'll leave us on purpose, just that Ryan might trick you into doing so."

"I'm not  _weak_ ," Michael spat. "I can take care of myself. And you'd better watch your tone with your king, Ramsey."

He stomped out of the room, slamming the door behind him, and leaving Geoff with the terrifying feeling that he had only made things worse.

* * *

As soon as Michael left the castle, he felt bad. He hadn't meant to snap at Geoff. He was just so wound up, and now that he knew the reason as to why Jack and Geoff had been so cautious around him, well... He didn't like it at all, to say the least.

Letting out a yell of rage, he slashed at the nearest tree with his sword. The bark split open to reveal the new wood and fresh sap underneath. His breathing harsh, he sheathed his sword and stalked through the woods. The only sound in the quiet forest was the crunching of undergrowth beneath his feet, and the sharp hisses of breath snaking through his lips. Distantly, he wondered what had happened to the sound of the animals and wind, but his mind was too fogged to really make any sense of it.

His feet took him down the familiar path to the clearing. The moon had risen as he walked on and lit the clearing as his trudged into it.

It was quiet. The trees sat tall and stoic around him, no sign of a breeze to shift their branches. From his point at the far end of the clearing, he could see a faint glow emanating from the cave, caused by torches left there on his previous explorations. He made his way towards the cave, but before he could reach it, a noise drifted towards his ears.

"Oh, Michael..." the voice murmured. In contrast to the silence of the clearing, the voice rang loudly through his head.

He winced and spun around, drawing his sword. "Who's there?" he called.

"It's been ages, Michael."

Michael's breath hitched in his chest, and the grip on his sword loosening automatically.

"The crown suits you."

Michael swallowed. "Show yourself!" he shouted, thanking God that his voice didn't waver.

"When I am ready."

"Don't be a coward," he cried. "Show yourself!"

Ryan chuckled, the deep noise thrumming through Michael's chest. "Don't worry. My time will come soon. Until then, Michael..."

"Wait!"

But he was gone. The wind picked up again, swishing Michael's curls around his face. He growled angrily and stuck his sword in the dirt. He was right. Ryan would only show himself when he wanted to be seen.

Well, if he was going to play that game, Michael would be ready for him.

He returned to the castle late that night, surprised to find the other three hovering in the throne room, worried looks on their faces.

"Michael!" Gavin squeaked, darting forward towards the king.

"Whoa, what? What's going on?" Michael asked, gasping a little as Gavin squeezed him in a tight hug.

"We were scared to death, that's what!" Geoff explained in a heated voice. "You stormed off today and didn't come back until nightfall. We were just about ready to send a search party out for you."

"I'm fine guys, but why all the concern? It's not like I haven't done it before," Michael pointed out.

Geoff and Jack exchanged a look, which immediately set Michael on guard.

"What?" he ventured cautiously. "What is it?"

"Two cows went missing while you were gone, and another three were found dead in their pens. The people are fearing wolves but..." Jack trailed off with a pointed look.

"You don't think it was wolves," Michael finished darkly.

The three shook their heads. Michael sighed. "Well, I've got something to tell you as well."

He explained his experience in the clearing. Geoff's eyes narrowed. "I warned you something like this would happen."

"Well excuse me for trying to find the only man that can save Ray," Michael snapped.

"Jack is working as hard as he can," Geoff growled. "We just need to give him time."

"Guys..." Jack tried, his eyes tired.

"We don't have time! We have no idea if this potion is slowly killing Ray. We don't know  _what_  it's doing to him. The only sure way we can save him is to find Ryan, you know that," Michael spat.

"I'm not denying that it would help a lot," Geoff conceded, "but it's not safe whatsoever. Ryan is dangerous. We don't know how the Nether changed him, or what he's capable of now."

Michael narrowed his eyes. "I can handle him."

"You're going to get yourself killed!" Geoff exploded.

"HEY!" Gavin shouted, a frustrated look on his face. "Stop it! Look at what this is doing to us!"

Geoff and Michael's expressions wavered, their resolve crumbling until they finally stared down at their feet, shame clear on their features.

"This is exactly what Ryan wants to happen. He wants to weaken us and tear us apart so he'll have an easier shot at the throne." Gavin swallowed. "As much as I hate to admit it, the Ryan we knew is long gone, and we can't change that. But we can fight him. We can fix Ray and we can make sure that Ryan can't harm us anymore."

Geoff sighed. "You're right, Gav." He looked up and met gazes with Michael. "I'm sorry. This isn't helping us."

Michael shifted on his feet. "I'm sorry, too. This is my fault. I keep instigating fights."

"You're just wound up," Jack said gently. "We all are. But we need to keep ourselves in check for the kingdom's sake."

They all looked at each other and then nodded collectively.

"So, is everyone good?" Gavin asked.

Michael and Geoff smiled at each other for the first time in weeks. "Yeah, buddy. I think we're gonna be okay."

* * *

The kingdom was nervous.

As the weeks passed, more and more cows started disappearing. No one suspected a person could be the cause of it, especially not Ryan back from the grave, but the deaths and disappearances were putting everyone on edge. The cows started to be reported missing from farms closer and closer to the center of the city. Fences and protective barriers were constructed around homes, but still the cows, and even chickens and pigs occasionally, were taken or killed.

About two months after the first cow death, something happened that almost threw Achievement City into a state of chaos.

"Sire! Sire!"

Michael looked up from the map of Achievement City laid out in front of him. The farms that had been attacked were circled, and he had spent hours searching the map for a pattern. The panicked note in the messenger's voice, however, had him rocketing to his feet in an instant.

"What is it? What's wrong?" he demanded.

The messenger gasped, chest heaving as he breathed in deep lung fulls of air. He must have come running from somewhere far out on the edges of the city.

"Forgive me sire," the messenger finally panted. He straightened up and looked Michael in the eye. "A young man went missing a few days ago. I only just got the news."

Michael's eyebrows rose. "What?"

The messenger nodded. "He was taken from a village to the north. The young man of the Shawcross family."

"Kerry," Michael gasped.

The messenger started. "Did you know him, sire?"

"I- Yes. Not very well. He lived in my village, near my home. We were- we are close in age," Michael explained.  _Not Kerry..._

"I am sorry, sire."

Michael's head snapped up suddenly. "Does anyone else know?"

The messenger shook his head. "No, but word will spread fast."

"Damn it," Michael swore. If the people of Achievement City found out he'd have an uprising on his hands. "Bring me the others. I need to speak with them."

The messenger bowed. "Right away, sire." He disappeared through the doors, hurrying off down the hall.

Michael chewed on his lip and paced over the cobblestone on the floor. Kerry... He could picture the younger boy. He was the closest one to Michael's age besides Ray in his village. They hadn't exactly been the best of friends, but Kerry occasionally joined in on his and Ray's games as children. Michael hoped he was all right.

He was jolted out of his thoughts by Geoff, Jack and Gavin hustling through the doors, boots landing heavily on the stone.

"You wanted to speak with us?" Jack said instantly, stopping in front of Michael.

Michael quickly briefed them on the situation. By the looks on their faces, he could tell they had the same fears as he did.

"The tension in the kingdom is already at its limits. If word of this gets out, it could push everyone over the edge," Geoff said, tapping his fingers on his thigh.

Michael nodded. "That's exactly what I was thinking. However, I don't see a way to avoid everyone finding out."

"So what are we going to do?" Gavin asked.

"We're going to have to tell them," Michael said. "If I let them know the situation before rumors start to spread, it might cushion the blow."

"I agree," Geoff stated with a nod.

"We'd better hurry, then. You know how quickly word travels throughout the kingdom," Jack said.

That evening Michael stood in front of the gathered kingdom and addressed the citizens of Achievement City. As expected, there was an initial stage of panic. Someone screamed, which started a rally of cries and yelling. Michael raised his voice to try and calm the crowd, but they were too caught up in their fear to listen. Eventually the irritation grew in him to the point where it burst out of him in the form of an enraged yell.

"QUIET."

The crowd immediately froze, staring up at their king with wide eyes.

Breathing in sharply through his nose, Michael turned to Geoff next to him. Geoff gave him an encouraging nod.

"Look, I know that you're all scared. Terrified even." He paused, making sure to catch the eye of a few of his people. "But panicking isn't going to help anyone. You have every right to be worried. Achievement City, as much as I hate to say it, is not in the best position at the moment. We are being plagued by- something," he stumbled a bit, then continued, "Something that is terrorizing our farms. I'm not going to lie to you and say that you're not in danger, because you are. However, that does not mean I'm not going to do everything in my power to protect this city. As your head knight, as your  _king_ , it is my duty to guard this kingdom with my life. I will do my best to uphold that duty."

The people were silent, regarding their king with wide eyes. Michael stepped back, ducking his head slightly but standing his ground. Then the cheering started.

"Looks like they believe in you, huh?" Geoff murmured in his ear.

Michael smiled at the crowd and inclined his head. When the cheering died down he raised his hand, silencing the remaining noise. "Thank you. Now, go back to your homes. My knights will be walking the streets to make sure you are all guarded. In the meantime, reinforce your stables and fences. Lock your doors at night. Don't leave home after dark unless you are with a group of people." He sighed. "I don't want to have to impose a curfew, but I will if this gets out of hand."

The people applauded again and then made their way back to their homes.

"I guess they're starting to warm up to you," Gavin said cheerily.

Michael grimaced. "I just wish it were under better circumstances."

* * *

That night he stopped by Ray's room again.

Despite hoping, Ray was in the same position he'd been in for weeks now. His head tilted slightly to the left, mouth parted just barely as he breathed. Michael sat on the edge of the bed and watched the slight movements of Ray's chest as he breathed, sighing. Without thinking he reached out and brushed Ray's bangs from his eyes.

"His hair is getting long."

Michael jumped and spun around to face the door. Jack leaned against the door frame, eyes trained on Ray's still figure.

Michael swallowed and turned back around towards Ray. "Yeah. We should probably cut it or something soon."

"Hopefully he'll be up before we have to make that decision for him," Jack said.

"Hopefully," Michael repeated.

They were quiet for a moment before Jack spoke again. "So what are you doing here this late?"

Michael shrugged. "Couldn't sleep. Sometimes I come in here to check on him. Figured now was a good a time as any."

Jack stepped forward and placed a hand on Michael's shoulder. "He'll wake up, you know that right?"

"I try to remember," he mumbled.

"He will," Jack stated firmly. "Either I'll figure out an antidote, or we'll take one from Ryan. He'll be okay."

"I'm just nervous. First him, and now Kerry..."

Jack frowned at him. "I'm sorry, Michael. I know this has been hard for you. There's been a lot of weight placed on your shoulders in the past few weeks."

"Sometimes it's too much," Michael admitted quietly.

"I know. That's why we're here." Jack smiled softly at him. He patted Michael's shoulder. "You should get some rest."

Michael nodded and stood, looking one last time down at Ray before joining Jack at the door.

He made his way to his room and slipped back into bed. Settling in, he watched the moon slide slowly across the sky, bathing the earth with glowing silver light. Despite the light filtering through his window, he quickly fell asleep, tired limbs resting for once in a long time.

* * *

_When he opened his eyes, everything was black. He blinked and rubbed at them, but nothing changed. Straining his eyes, he peered into the darkness, stepping forward cautiously. Upon finding solid ground underneath his boots he continued forward blindly._

_"Hello?" Michael called out, but his voice sounded muffled to his ears, almost like he was underwater._

_He tried again. "Is anyone there?"_

_No other sound reached his ears besides the scuffle of his feet against stone._

_He was about to call out once more when a resounding boom assaulted his ears, much louder and more clear than his own voice. Michael winced, cringing against the intrusive sound. His hand grasped at his side, instinctively reaching for his sword, but only finding empty air. He swore, realizing he was both unarmed and not equipped with armor._

_The noise came again, this time from a point to his right. Fight or flight. Against his normal instinct, he chose to flee and turned left, taking off. He knew there was no point in trying to fight something without a weapon, and he had no idea what could cause that kind of sound._

_Another noise erupted behind him, this one deeper and more violent. Whatever it was hummed viciously and panic seized his heart in a vice grip._

_Stumbling blindly through the dark, he tried to find something he could use to fight. Something had appeared behind him, and by the sounds it was making, it was gearing up to attack him._

_A wavering purple light suddenly sparked at the edge of his vision. He faltered, which gave the thing enough time to catch up to him. Hot hair blew over his back, and the thing roared. It swiped at him and he let out a yell as its hooves made contact with his back, digging deep gouges into his flesh. He cried out in pain and then went numb._

Michael sat up wildly, heaving great gulps of air into his lungs. He fumbled with the torch by his bed, lighting it with shaking hands and accidentally singeing his fingertips. His heart raced like he had just won a challenging fight, but instead of his body shivering with adrenaline, it quaked in fear.

The pigman's roar rang in his ears. He gnawed at his lower lip, throwing the covers off himself and standing up.

The pale hues of dawn had started to seep across his rooms, the sunlight barely reaching his bed. He shivered again, this time from the cold of the morning.

He slipped on his boots and drew a thick cloak around his shoulders. The late autumn air chilled his skin as he made his way down the halls of the castle, occasionally nodding to a knight or guard. He grabbed his sword from the armory and then ventured outside.

The training grounds were calm as he approached them. None of the knights were occupying the space, and it was too early for any of his friends to be up and training.

Michael slipped the cloak from his shoulders and took up a fighting stance in front of a practice dummy. He heaved in a deep breath, focusing and trying to forget the beast's panting breaths, and began swinging. He dodged and weaved through the field of dummies, acting as though they were going to attack him and anticipating their moves.

He spun around, slashing down aggressively and was surprised when his sword met with another, resulting in a loud metallic clash. He staggered back. Geoff stood in front of him, wielding his own sword.

"Fight me," Geoff challenged, a teasing smile on his lips.

Michael shook his head, still surprised at Geoff's sudden entrance. "Neither of us are wearing armor. I don't want to hurt you."

"Who says you'll hurt me?" Geoff taunted.

Michael's eyes narrowed. "You know I'm not really in the mood to play games."

"I noticed," Geoff said dryly. "That's why I figured you'd want to fight."

"Well, I can't say you're wrong," Michael replied.

Geoff shrugged. "Then let's do this."

Michael studied Geoff's face. "All right," he conceded, immediately rushing forward.

Geoff dodged him and returned his own stab. Michael parried, carrying Geoff's own momentum against him and forcing him back against a tree. Geoff spun, twisting out of Michael's advance and slashing down at Michael's legs. They danced back and forth, sliding gracefully across the field as they met each other blow for blow. As exhaustion started to hit, Michael consciously turned so his torso was exposed. Geoff leaped forward, taking the bait. Michael jumped out of the way, thrusting the hilt of his sword against Geoff's wrist.

Geoff hissed in pain, dropping his sword and staggering back a few steps. Michael abandoned his sword, unwilling to end the fight and wanting to keep it fair. He swung his fist at Geoff's face, but Geoff caught it in his hand. Geoff twisted Michael's arm behind his back, kicking at the backs of Michael's knees to bring him to the ground. Michael's eyes watered at the pain in his shoulder. He jabbed his free elbow back into Geoff's legs while knocking his head into Geoff's stomach. Geoff let go of his arm and Michael immediately reached back and grabbed Geoff's arms, rolling forward and carrying Geoff's weight with him. Geoff flipped over his head and landed on his back in front of Michael, the breath knocked out of him.

Michael hurriedly twisted so he was pinning Geoff to the ground, hands on Geoff's shoulders and knees keeping Geoff's hips from throwing him off. Geoff wheezed under him, coughing as air rushed back into his lungs. Michael breathed heavily over him, sweat making his curls stick to his forehead. Adrenaline rushed through his body, sweeping away the anxiety he'd woken up with.

They stayed like that for a moment, recovering, before Geoff spoke.

"Feeling better?" he choked out.

Michael chuckled and stood, holding out a hand for Geoff to grab onto. Geoff clutched his forearm, hauling himself upright. "Yeah. Thanks, Geoff."

"Anytime, man. Now, care to tell me what had you in such a mood in the first place?"

Michael sighed. He proceeded to explain his dream to Geoff, but was unable to find the words to describe the beast's horrible roar.

Geoff frowned. "It was just a dream. You know that."

"Yeah, I know. I just... It was so  _real_ , y'know? For a moment I thought it had actually killed me..."

Geoff's furrowed brow straightened a little, and he sighed, placing a hand on Michael's shoulder. "We're all stressed, Michael. Having nightmares is normal."

Michael didn't respond. He stared down at his sword, still sitting in the tall grass, and wondered if it'd be enough to take down an army of pigmen.

"Let's go inside. It's cold as dicks out here and I'm starving."

Michael smiled, gathering up his cloak and sword and falling into step beside Geoff. He shook off the nightmare. Geoff was right, he was just stressed. That was all.

* * *

Eventually, the cow abductions tapered off until a week had passed and all the cows remained in their pens. No one besides Kerry had been taken, and slowly the fear in Achievement City faded away. Months passed. The winter came and went, and soon spring arrived in the city, melting the snow and bringing with it a much desired warmth. The people of Achievement City grew to respect and even admire Michael. He had kept them calm and feeling safe during a time of terror. He was also clever, easily able to help some of the minor problems the kingdom suffered from.

Michael didn't let his guard down. Sometimes when he went back to the clearing, Ryan would speak to him, but he would never show his face. Ryan was still planning something, and Michael was going to be ready for whatever it was.

Ray continued to sleep in his room. Occasionally he would stir or mumble something, but he never awoke. Michael was worried for him, but he wasn't going to give up on him.

Jack worked day and night on an antidote. He perfected potions of swiftness and strength, even accidentally creating potions of harming and weakness. However, no matter how much he tried, he couldn't find the right mix to cure Ray. The potions of healing and regeneration weren't enough, but Jack kept trying.

Achievement City was emerging from under its black cloud, like the sun distancing itself from winter. Tensions melted, people laughed openly again, children began playing in the streets once more.

But of course, that didn't last for long.

Michael brought it up on the training grounds one evening.

"I want to go back into the cave system."

Gavin stopped mid-swing and stared at him as if he were crazy. "But we've looked in there dozens of times already. There's nothing there."

"I know, I know," Michael acknowledged, "but maybe we missed something."

"You say that every time, Michael," Geoff said, slipping into the conversation. He wiped sweat from his forehead and let the tip of his sword fall to brush the ground.

Michael held up his hands. "I know, okay? I just have this feeling..." he trailed off.

Geoff and Gavin glanced at each other before sighing in defeat. "All right, we'll go tonight."

That evening, the three of them outfitted themselves in newly polished armor and strapped their swords to their waists. Gavin handpicked two dozen arrows and slipped them into the quiver on his back. Geoff finished before the others and left to check on Jack, promising to meet them at the front gates in ten minutes.

The iron gauntlets felt heavy on Michael's wrists as he strapped them on. He had an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach. It must of shown on his face, for Gavin stepped forward and tapped him on the cheek, concern in his eyes.

"You okay, boi?" he questioned.

Michael nodded. "Just a weird feeling. I dunno."

Gavin frowned. "You know we don't have to go, right?"

Michael snorted. "Backing out already?"

Gavin squeaked indignantly. "What? No way! All I'm saying is that if you don't like this, maybe we shouldn't go."

"That's exactly why I think we should, though," Michael said quietly.

Gavin shrugged. "If you say so."

The two walked side by side down the halls, lost in their own thoughts.

Geoff met them at the doors as he said he would, and the three of them made their way out of the castle grounds and into the forest beyond.

The spring rain had cleared the ground under their feet from snow and dead plants, leaving their path mostly unobstructed. The trees swayed in the cool night breeze above them. Leaves rattled on the thin branches. The grass fluttered beneath their feet. In the distance, Michael heard a wolf howl and quickened his pace.

They wasted no time in descending into the cave once they reached the clearing. Michael wanted to expel all doubts from his head by getting in and out as quickly as he could. Gavin and Geoff just wanted to be out of there.

It seemed as if the rain had drained into the cave as well. The floor was covered in a few inches of stagnant water that churned under their boots as they walked. They re-lit torches as they went, peering into crevices and down dark stretches of rock.

An hour passed without any luck. The walls were made up of the same rock they had searched time and time again and bare of any type of ore. Michael was about to give up and call it a night when a heavy noise thrummed below them. Michael was standing in a dry patch of the cave, but behind him where the floor sloped downward he could see the surface of the water quivering.

The noise was familiar, but he couldn't place it. He turned to the others in confusion and saw that the color had drained from Geoff's face.

"Geoff?" Michael questioned, hand reaching for his sword. "What is it?"

"Oh no," Geoff whispered. "We need to get out of here. Now."

"Geoff! What is it?" Michael repeated desperately as Geoff turned to run.

"Nether portal!" Geoff cried.

Michael reacted instinctively, body twisting to run, when he heard a more familiar noise: the sound of a switch working behind the rock.

He had enough time to see the ground sliding open smoothly below him, and Gavin and Geoff's terrified faces, before he plummeted down into a dark orifice, the others screaming his name as he fell.

* * *

Michael awoke with a groan, head pounding. He blinked and looked around in confusion.

The room he was in was dark, but glowed dimly in the light of redstone torches. It wasn't a very big room, and the air felt heavy in his lungs. He sat up and noted vaguely that he was on something soft. Running his hand over the ground, he saw he was sat on a path of blood-red wool. His gaze followed the path up a set of stairs to a gilded throne. The gold tips of the throne curved wickedly along the ceiling of the room, looking out of place in the otherwise dank cave.

With a start, Michael realized the room he was in was a bastardized copy of the throne room in Achievement City. But that wasn't the biggest shock.

Ryan lounged in the throne, looking right at home with a saccharine grin plastered on his face.

"Hello Michael," Ryan murmured, the simple words rolling over Michael's skin.

Michael shivered. He had forgotten how smooth Ryan's voice could be. He realized now why Geoff had been nervous about Michael meeting Ryan alone.

Michael somehow found his voice. "Ryan."

Ryan grinned, and Michael noted the thick scar that ran down the length of his cheek. Ryan wasn't wearing a shirt, only what Michael now recognized as a cow pelt draped over his shoulders, and Michael could see that the scar continued down his chest.

"It's good to see my loyal knight again," Ryan said. Michael had to force himself to realize that Ryan was playing him. His words weren't genuine. Not anymore.

"I'm not  _yours_ ," Michael spat.

"I noticed." Ryan nodded to Michael's crown, and Michael fought the urge to reach up and touch it.

Ryan was wearing a crown of his own, and Michael realized with a start that it was Ray's crown that sat atop Ryan's head. The gold circlet was slightly scratched and dented, with black scorch marks littering the surface, but it was Ray's nonetheless.

"Do you like my throne room, Michael? I'm sure you recognize it."

Michael looked around. Like he had noticed before, the room was almost a direct copy of Achievement City's throne room, with some minor changes. A set of stairs extended up to the ceiling on Michael's left, and to his right sat the looming frame of a Nether portal. Michael shivered at the noises emanating from it. He turned away from the portal and his eyes caught on two forms lurching towards him. He scrambled up when he registered them as pigmen, praying that he still had his sword on him. Of course he didn't, he sighed as his hand met empty air at his side. However, it didn't matter as the pigmen stopped about five meters from him, hooves extending in his direction. Their limbs strained against the diamond chains that tethered them to the wall.

Ryan chuckled, watching the exchange and causing a flare of anger to bubble up inside Michael's chest.

Michael scowled at him. "What do you want?"

Ryan frowned. "Isn't it obvious? I just want back what's rightfully mine."

"You gave up the throne when you disappeared, Ryan. That's not my fault. It's not Geoff or Ray's fault. It's not Achievement City's fault," Michael growled. "You're an adult and you're acting like a spoiled child."

"I was  _betrayed_!" Ryan shouted, standing quickly. Michael noticed how thin Ryan had gotten as his chest heaved with angry breaths. "I was abandoned by the people who I called my friends. You left me behind. You didn't  _care_. You gave away my position like I meant nothing to you, like I brought nothing to the kingdom."

Michael crossed his arms. "That's not true and you know it." An angry spark flashed in Ryan's eye, but Michael kept going before he could speak. "You're exaggerating what really happened. You fucked up, and now you're taking it out on everyone else."

Ryan pulled in a shuddering gulp of air and sat back down, running a hand through his hair and knocking his crown to the side. The mask returned to Ryan's face as he adjusted his crown and manufactured a smile. "Oh Michael..."

"Don't pull this shit, Ryan!" Michael erupted. "Stop acting like you don't care anymore! There was a reason I followed you into battle when I first met you, and it was because I could see your passion. You cared about your reign, about furthering Achievement City's progress. And now look at you! You're hiding it all under a mask of indifference because you're broken and there was no one here to fix you!"

Ryan shook his head. "Michael, you have it all wrong-"

"Ryan,  _listen to me_ ," Michael cried desperately. "Come back to the kingdom with me. We can help you. We can fix this!"

"I don't think that's an option anymore, Michael," Ryan said. Michael thought he saw a hint of regret in Ryan's eyes before Ryan clucked his tongue and whistled quietly.

The sound of footsteps came from behind Ryan. A figure stepped forward, still hidden in the shadow of the throne.

"I'd like you to meet my assistant, Michael, though I think you two might already know each other."

The figured emerged fully from the shadows and Michael gasped as he caught sight of that familiar sandy blond hair. "Kerry?"

Kerry didn't respond. He stood stiffly by Ryan's side, hardly even blinking.

Michael gritted his teeth. "What did you do to him?" he growled.

Ryan quirked his lips. "Just gave him a little something I cooked up. He's a lot easier to work with when he's not trying to escape. Kerry, be a dear and bring Michael closer."

Kerry walked jerkily down the steps, approaching Michael steadily. As he got closer, Michael noticed that Kerry's warm, dark eyes were now an icy grey-blue color. It was eerie how emotionless they made him look. Kerry grabbed Michael's arms in an iron grip, dragging him to the throne and halfway up the steps. Michael dropped to his knees when Kerry released him, rubbing his sore arms. Kerry returned to Ryan's side, still quiet, as Michael glared up at Ryan.

"You'll never take back the throne. Even if you keep me down here, Achievement City's knights will force you away. Soon, Jack will come up with an antidote for Ray and he'll resume his role as king. You can't win," Michael snarled.

Ryan chuckled darkly. "Oh, dear Michael. I don't think you quite understand the situation. I know exactly how to get to Ray, and I could easily slit his throat if I pleased."

Michael gasped, jerking forward. "Ryan, you wouldn't. It's  _Ray_. He's like family."

Ryan smiled, but the gesture didn't reach his eyes. "Maybe once he was, but he lost that association the minute he cast me away. I'm capable of anything now, Michael. And now it's up to you to decide what to do." He leaned forward and placed his clasped hands under his chin, elbows resting on the throne's arms. "Your move."

Michael swallowed. He knew Ryan had him right where he wanted him. His chest hurt as he thought of Ray, helpless and unconscious in his bed. Geoff and Gavin must be worried sick by now. He was losing his grip on Achievement City, which was exactly what Ryan wanted.

Michael bowed his head. He was out of options.

"All right," he murmured, barely keeping his voice from shaking.

He stood on wobbly legs and climbed the last few steps towards Ryan. Ryan watched his every move, eyes calculating. Michael kneeled in front of Ryan and reached up, removing his crown and placing it at Ryan's feet. He crossed his right arm over his chest and bowed. "My liege," he hissed.

Ryan grinned. "Good boy," he chimed. "The loyal knight, home at last."

"You have to  _promise_  me though," Michael said, forcing the words harshly through his teeth. "You won't harm them. Any of them."

Ryan cocked his head and placed a hand on Michael's shoulder. Michael flinched away from the touch and Ryan stiffened. "Michael-"

" _Promise me_ ," Michael spat.

Ryan sighed. "All right. But the minute one of them crosses me," Ryan paused, a Cheshire grin forming on his lips, "All bets are off."

Michael winced, shoulders slumping.

"Kerry?" Ryan called. Kerry immediately stood at attention. "Ready yourself. We march tonight."

Michael's head snapped up. "Tonight?"

The grin appeared on Ryan's lips again, and he leaned down until he was inches from Michael's face. "Oh yes. Tonight, we take back Achievement City." He laughed, but the sound was hollow and rang in Michael's ears.

"Get excited."


	5. Mad King Ryan

Michael sat with his back to the wall, knees pulled up in front of him. The small room behind Ryan's throne was cold, and the thin blanket he'd stolen from one of the beds wasn't very useful against the penetrating chill. Shivering, he wiped at the blood on his lip. Ryan could definitely pack a punch when he wanted to.

His jaw throbbed in a painful reminder. It wasn't the first time his big mouth had gotten him in trouble, but he wasn't expecting Ryan to retaliate physically.

All he'd done was ask Ryan if he wanted Michael to become his little slave like Kerry was. Apparently that had hit a nerve in the Mad King.

_The Mad King._

Michael snorted out a laugh. The old name seemed fitting enough.

After that Kerry had dragged Michael behind the throne and into a small room located underground. Kerry stayed in the room with him, but Michael hadn't been able to look at him since Ryan had closed the door after them. He couldn't stand the blank look in Kerry's icy eyes.

"I'm sorry," he muttered once again. The room stayed silent.

Michael curled the blanket around his shoulders. The dirt of the wall shifted behind him. A few clots of it fell on his head, causing him to look up. The room thrummed and he stood up, glancing around.

He finally turned and saw that Kerry was staring up at the ceiling as well, a small smile on his face. Michael watched him warily. He was about to speak when the room shook violently, pitching him to the ground. His left arm hit the rough stone as chunks of dirt crashed down on top of him. Small beads of blood formed on his arm where it had caught his fall. He wiped them away and clutched his arm to his chest, shaking the dirt off his body and looking up.

Kerry let out a giggle next to him.

Michael watched him as he got back to his feet. "Kerry, what-"

A loud roar assaulted his senses, and he hunched over, clutching his ears. He'd never forget that roar as long as he lived. It was almost like the roar of the pigman, but much, much louder.

"What the fuck?" he gasped, staggering towards the door.

He was almost at the stairs when Kerry caught his arm.

"You don't want to be out there right now," Kerry sang.

Michael shivered at the tone of his voice. "What?"

Kerry giggled again. "The King is playing with his pet."

Michael turned away. The look on Kerry's face was unsettling. It made his chest hurt.

He made his way back to his spot on the floor, picking up the blanket and wrapping it around himself again. The frigid air seeped beneath his skin, chilling him to the bone. He tried to block out the noises from above him, but didn't have much luck.

He was bordering on sleep when he heard the door creak open. His eyes snapped to the door, fist clenching unconsciously by his side for a sword that wasn't there. Ryan stepped through the door, a dark glint in his eyes.

"It's time," he called.

Kerry leaped up and pulled on Michael's arm, dragging him to his feet. Michael followed Kerry to the door uncertainly. Ryan smiled at them when they arrived. He herded them away from the door and over to the stairs on the wall. Michael glanced back over his shoulder, but he saw no sign of the "pet" that Kerry spoke of.

Ryan led them up the steep staircase, his boots clicking against the stone. Michael stared at a point on Ryan's back, trying to think of a way to get out of the situation and keep his friends alive at the same time. His heart sank every time he dismissed an idea. As long as Ryan was in control, Michael was trapped.

Michael stared longingly at the sword attached to Ryan's waist. If only...

His train of thought was brought to an abrupt halt when Ryan stopped in front of him. Ryan flipped a switch on the wall and a door slid open in front of them. Michael peered around Ryan's shoulder into the darkness. It was pitch black behind the door, but Ryan strode through confidently as if he could see perfectly. The door shut seamlessly behind them and for once Michael was glad that Kerry had a firm grip on his arm.

"How the hell can you see in here?" he mumbled.

Ryan chuckled. "I have my ways."

He didn't elaborate, and Michael didn't question him anymore. Ryan turned this way and that through the pitch black, seemingly endless labyrinth of tunnels. Michael gave up trying to remember which way they had come from; after the first three turns he was completely turned around.

"So," Michael ventured, "how do you expect to take Achievement City all by yourself?"

"I have a hostage, don't I?" Ryan hummed.

Michael stiffened. "Why don't you just kill me right now then? The throne would be yours."

"Bargaining," Ryan said simply.

"Even if you did kill me though, there's no way the others would let you rule."

"I think you're forgetting," Ryan murmured, "I know the others. I was as close with them once as you are now. I know how they act. You're underestimating how sentimental they are. They wouldn't dare risk your, or Ray's, deaths."

Michael scowled. "Yeah? Well you've also been gone for over four years. They would make sacrifices now that they wouldn't have before."

Ryan huffed out a short laugh. "It won't matter in the end."

"Your arrogance is going to get you killed," Michael growled.

Ryan laughed longer this time, but didn't respond.

Michael stumbled over a piece of stone jutting out of the ground and swore. Kerry hauled him along, not even pausing to let Michael regain his balance. Michael tumbled forward and almost crashed into Ryan when he stopped. He couldn't see, but he heard Ryan mumble something to himself and then continue on.

Finally they hit another staircase. Michael almost tripped over the bottom step. He swore again and then began climbing after Ryan.

They reached the top and Ryan flipped another switch. This one opened a space above them, and Ryan climbed out of the dark hole. Michael blinked against the intruding light and glanced around. His breath hitched as he realized where they were. The staircase opened up into the small antechamber behind the throne room in Achievement City. Muffled voices drifted through the large wooden doors at the front of the room. He could pick out Geoff's voice, and then Jack's, and then he heard his name. He fought the urge to yell to them.

"Wait until I call you," Ryan instructed Kerry. After Kerry nodded, Ryan turned to Michael. "Remember our deal."

Michael didn't answer.

Ryan turned away from him and adjusted the pelt on his shoulders. Michael snorted and Ryan twisted his head around to look at him, cocking his eyebrow.

"Fixing yourself up for them?" Michael said sardonically.

Ryan grinned at him, all teeth. "It's all about appearances, Michael."

With that, he swept out the door. Kerry pulled Michael up to the wall next to the door so that they were hidden.

Now that the door was open, Geoff's voice came through more clearly.

"-been gone for more than twelve hours. I've assembled a group of knights to come with me to the caves. We will-"

Michael heard the room go quiet as presumably Ryan came into view. Cries of shock and fear filled the air and Michael's heart sank. He had wished that this would have taken place in front of the others only. From the amount of noise he could hear in the other room, it looked like that wasn't going to happen.

"Ryan," Geoff gasped.

"Geoff," Ryan responded, his deep voice filling the room.

"Where's Michael?" Geoff snapped, his tone changing abruptly.

"What, no hello?" Michael could hear the pout in Ryan's voice.

Geoff snarled. "Fuck you, Ryan. This is the second time you've harmed one of our kings. I'm not in the mood for games."

Ryan chuckled. "Oh come on, Geoff. You and I both know how much-"

He was cut off by Geoff making a sharp, furious noise.

Ryan sighed. "Fine, if you want to see him so badly-" he conceded. "Kerry?"

Kerry pulled Michael's arms harshly behind his back, making Michael gasp in pain. He then pushed on Michael's back and Michael stumbled through the door and out of the room. His eyes caught on the scene in front of him, and his stomach churned. Geoff, Gavin, and Jack were gathered in front of the throne, facing Ryan. Gavin was clutching his bow in his fist, while both Geoff and Jack had their hands on the swords at their hips. Beyond them the people of Achievement City were gathered at the bottom of the stairs leading up to the throne, watching the scene with wide eyes.

Gasps rose up from the crowd as Michael was hauled to Ryan's left side and shoved forcefully to his knees. Kerry took up his spot at Ryan's right as Ryan smiled down at Michael.

"Welcome to the party, Michael." Ryan set his hand heavily on Michael's shoulder.

"Michael!" Gavin cried, his hold on his bow tightening.

Michael grinned at him, wincing at the way it tugged on the split in his lip. "Hey, Gav."

Geoff drew his sword, the metallic sound it made as it left the sheath reverberating through the room. "Let him go, Ryan."

"Oh, but he likes it here. Isn't that right, Michael?" Ryan said sweetly.

Michael scowled. "Go to hell."

Ryan frowned. His grip on Michael's shoulder tightened to the point where Michael closed his eyes in pain, flinching away from Ryan.

"Stop it!" Gavin shouted. "Ryan, what's wrong with you?"

"Gavin," Jack said quietly, putting a hand on Gavin's arm.

Gavin lurched away from him and strode forward until he was dangerously close to Ryan. Michael could feel Ryan tense next to him, the Mad King's fingers twitching on Michael's shoulder.

"Careful," Ryan warned, his voice low.

Gavin balled his hands into fists, the wood of his bow creaking under his grasp. "Why are you doing this to us? What did we do wrong?"

Ryan paused. "Why am I doing this?" he repeated softly. He let go of Michael's shoulder, and Michael let out a breath and looked up, eyes watering. Ryan stared back at him, and then turned to Gavin. "Have you ever been to the Nether, Gavin?"

Gavin shook his head cautiously.

"Have any of you?"

Geoff and Jack both shook their heads. Geoff watched Ryan, his sword never lowering.

"It's a place of nightmares," Ryan murmured. "Screams and moans, all hours of the day. Pools of lava that reach far out to the edges of the realm. Monsters that you can't even  _imagine_  roam the plains, never ceasing, never growing weary or slowing down," Ryan paused, making sure that everyone was listening. "The only way to protect yourself is by hiding and running. You can't sleep for fear of waking up surrounded by monsters, or not waking up at all. And if you do sleep, the nightmares will make you never want to again."

Ryan stepped forward, looking straight at Gavin. "Now imagine being trapped in there. You run and you hide, but for what? What's the point? The portal is closed and you're never going to escape." He glanced over at Geoff. "I ran. I killed. I almost starved to death. There's no water there. Ghast tears aren't a great way to stave off dehydration, you know?"

Ryan shook his head. "I lost track of time. Somehow I managed to stumbled upon the portal again and found that it had been lit. A ghast must have done it while I wasn't there. I never bothered to check it. Careless," he spat, seemingly speaking to himself. He swallowed and began again. "I came out in a cave and found enough food and water to keep me alive, but that wasn't my main problem." He locked eyes with each of them, coming back to settle on Gavin. "Being alone for that long really messes with you." He chuckled softly. "And I realized something while I was there."

"What?" Gavin asked in a small voice.

Ryan smiled at him. "Maybe I'm better this way."

Geoff's sword wavered. "If we had known you were alive-"

Ryan held up a hand. "What? You would have come after me? Please, you were ready to arrest me when I left. Why would you care?"

Geoff's eyes widened in shock. "Ryan, you're our friend. Even if you did break the law, we still cared about you. I would have never wished what you went through on anybody."

Ryan shook his head. "You can keep telling yourself that, but I know the truth." He stepped back. "I've lived through horrors that you'll never see, and now that I'm back I'm going to take what's rightfully mine."

"The throne isn't yours," Jack spat. Michael looked at him in shock. He'd never heard that much malice in Jack's voice. "It's Michael's."

"Oh, but Michael has already given it to me, haven't you, Michael?" Ryan said.

"Wait, what?" Gavin gasped.

"Michael would never give up the throne without a fight," Geoff snarled.

Ryan reached down and hauled Michael to his feet. Michael stumbled a bit and then righted himself, watching Ryan carefully. Ryan unsheathed his sword and handed it to Michael, stepping back and spreading his arms.

"You've got the chance, Michael. All you have to do is shove that sword right between my ribs, and this will all be over," Ryan said.

Michael shifted the sword in his grip, feeling the eyes of Achievement City on him. It would be so easy to kill Ryan, to thrust the sword straight into his heart and never look back. Killing was second nature to him now. But, at the same time, he knew that if he killed Ryan, he would never forgive himself.

The others watched him carefully. The city held its breath. Ryan had an easy smile on his face.

Michael sighed. This time, it was different.

His arm dropped, and the tip of the sword dragged across the ground. "I can't."

Ryan smiled. He stepped back towards Michael and took the sword from Michael's grip. As he leaned forward, he whispered in Michael's ear, "When I was talking about sentiment, I wasn't excluding you."

"Michael-" Geoff started, but Michael didn't meet his gaze.

Ryan grinned at Geoff. "Do you regret your decision to make me king?"

Geoff took a deep breath and looked him right in the eye. "No. But I regret letting you go."

Ryan's jaw twitched, but then he turned away towards the throne. He sat back, setting his arms on the arm rests and smiling.

"Is it worth it?" Michael asked quietly. "After everything you did, to Ray, to Kerry, to Achievement City? Is everything you did worth it?" He glared at Ryan. "Is it good to be king, after everything you've done?"

"Oh," Ryan murmured, looking out over the frozen faces of the crowd. "It'll be so good."

* * *

Michael shifted painfully from foot to foot at the bottom of the stairs to the throne. He was sore and uncomfortable from standing on the unforgiving stone for so long, but he had no choice but to stay there. Ryan was at his back, lounging comfortably in his throne. If he even made to leave, Ryan would have Kerry restrain him and force him back down to his spot. No, he was stuck there until Ryan said he could move.

The few months that Ryan had been king were hard on Achievement City. The people lived in fear of their king. It wasn't as if Ryan had set out to harm any of the citizens directly, but they knew of his wrath and were unwilling to be his next victim. Michael was a shining example to all of them. It seemed as if every day Michael appeared with a new cut or bruise, his mouth firmly shut and eyes blazing with a repressed fire. It was to be expected, however. As if Michael's temper wasn't enough, he was also forced to be within shouting distance of Ryan at all times.

It seemed that the King feared a revolution. He stationed loyal guards around the city that were always vigilant, ready to catch conspiring citizens and charge them for treason.

Despite being cautious with everyone, Michael was Ryan's number one priority. Ryan knew that if Michael had his way, he wouldn't miss the chance to take back the throne. He also knew that the people of Achievement City would back their former king without question. Almost immediately after his self-coronation, Ryan placed Michael back as head knight, forcing him to stay close to the King's side, and separating him from the others. Geoff, Jack and Gavin were watched day and night. They weren't allowed to be around each other for more than ten minutes at a time, and always had to be escorted wherever they went. Ryan might have been arrogant, but he wasn't stupid.

Jack was allowed to continue caring for Ray, but all progress on an antidote ground to a halt. At least, until he found a way to experiment in secret.

Ryan had begun various projects around the city. He called for more people to be sent into the mines in search of diamond and obsidian. He required rare items from monsters.

Deaths were not uncommon in Achievement City anymore.

The people were not happy. They resented Ryan and what he had done to two of their favored kings. Hatred and betrayal brewed within the kingdom's borders, but the fear was higher, and it kept the people quiet.

Michael was sick of it.

The first month he had tried reasoning with Ryan to see if he could get through to his old friend. A few times he almost thought he saw a flicker of Ryan's old self in the King's eyes, but it was gone before he could be sure. Eventually he gave up on trying, and that's when his rebellion started. He'd started disobeying orders, slandering the King, destroying minor projects of Ryan's. Sometimes Ryan's guards would catch him and he'd sport a few new bruises or a black eye for a week. Sometimes the guards would drag him to Ryan, and he'd end up on his side and coughing up blood. Sometimes, if Ryan was in a mood, he'd gain deeper cuts that would leave scars. Michael's favorite was the scar on the left side of his jaw he'd gotten from calling Ryan a "fucking heartless bastard" after Michael had freed a falsely accused young man from the stocks.

It'd almost become a game to him: seeing how far he could push Ryan before the King would snap. Ryan was notorious for being patient, but Michael was good at matching patience with persistence.

Sometimes Michael did regret his actions. Like now, for instance, when he was forced to stand at the foot of the throne with a throbbing black eye and a sprained ankle. He'd like nothing more than to lie down and rest, but Ryan had  _insisted_  that Michael join him for the afternoon. Like he'd had any choice in the matter.

Kerry stood faithfully at the side of Ryan's throne, emotionless eyes staring down at whoever Ryan was meeting with. Whenever the throne room was empty Micheal could feel those cold eyes boring into the back of his skull.

"Next," Ryan called out lazily, waving a hand through the air.

The great wooden doors creaked open, and a familiar face strode into the throne room. Michael perked up. It'd been nearly a month since he'd last seen Jack. The carpenter looked more haggard and thinner than he had the last time Michael had seen him, but that wasn't really shocking. Nearly everyone in the kingdom had been affected by the lack of hope in the air.

Jack stepped into the hall, blinking as his eyes adjusted to the dimmer lighting in the room. His eyes caught sight of Michael and he barely repressed a wince at bruises on Michael's face. Michael met his gaze unflinchingly, inclining his head slightly. Jack nodded shortly and then turned to the King.

He bowed. "My liege."

Ryan smiled. "Jack, it's good to see you."

Jack didn't reciprocate the sentiment.

Ryan went on without missing a beat. "So, what news have you brought me?"

Jack stood and spoke in a clear voice. "The construction of the Nether portals has been carried out as you asked. The final one was finished this morning."

Michael's breath hitched, but Ryan didn't seem to notice.

"Good," Ryan said with a smile. "That's very good news. Thank you, Jack."

Jack nodded, but didn't speak.

"Is there anything else?" Ryan inquired.

Jack shook his head.

"All right. You may go," Ryan said, raising his hand in a dismissive gesture.

Jack shot one last glance at Michael and then turned and left the room. Michael's chest relaxed and he shifted back, wincing slightly as his ankle twinged sharply.

"I bet you enjoyed seeing him again," Ryan said to Michael.

Michael nodded without turning around. It certainly was good to see Jack again. But what Ryan didn't know was that Michael was going to see him again very soon.

* * *

Michael slipped into the darkened room noiselessly, letting the door swish shut behind him.

The other three stood when he entered and stepped towards him.

"I don't have long," Michael stated breathlessly. "Ryan thinks I'm going to the armory to retrieve my chest plate. He'll send someone looking for me soon." He looked between the three. "Damn, it's really good to see you guys."

Geoff's lips quirked in a small smile. "You too, buddy. Nice eye, by the way."

Michael snorted. "The guards are very fond of it as well."

That sobered them up. Michael cleared his throat. "How'd you get away from your escorts?"

"They can be paid off if you have the right price," Jack said.

Gavin grinned, pleased. "It seems even Ryan's 'loyal' followers have their doubts."

Michael matched his smile, satisfaction swirling in his chest.

Geoff sighed, and the others fell silent. "I hate to break it to you all, but Michael's right. We don't have a lot of time so we need to get to the important stuff."

Michael cleared his throat. "Right. Okay. The last time I saw you all, you told me we'd meet when the Nether portals were finished. So now what?"

"Ryan hasn't ordered that we light them yet, so we still have a little bit of time. I'm really close to getting an antidote for Ray. He almost woke up a few days ago. I want to believe he's fighting it, but whatever 'it' is, is still giving me trouble," Jack said.

"Do you know what Ryan's going to do when the portals are lit?" Geoff asked Michael.

Michael shook his head. "He's very quiet about it. We know that he wanted to expand into the Nether, but this seems like something more. It's like he's preparing for something."

Geoff frowned. "That doesn't sound promising."

Michael sighed. "I know. And it's not like I can ask him or anything. I'm not exactly on his good side anymore."

"You're his head knight, though, right?" Gavin brought up. "If he was preparing for something, like a battle or whatever, he'd tell you, right?"

Michael shrugged. "I dunno, Gav. I may be his head knight, but that doesn't mean he trusts me with his plans. He just expects me to carry them out."

Gavin groaned. "This isn't getting us anywhere."

"We just need time," Geoff said firmly. "Jack will get the antidote for Ray, and maybe that will push the kingdom into taking action."

"Well, we can only hope," Jack said.

The others nodded.

"Can we get you anything?" Geoff asked Jack.

Jack shook his head. "My stores are holding up fairly well, and by the time I run out, well..."

He didn't have to finish the sentence. They knew what would happen long before Jack ran out of supplies.

"All right, well, keep working, and in the meantime I'll try to stall Ryan. Maybe I can give him something else to focus on," Michael said, his eyes hard.

Geoff frowned. "No, I know what you're thinking, and you're not going to put yourself in anymore danger. It's gotten out of hand." He looked pointedly at the bruises on Michael's face.

Michael snorted. "What, would you rather have Ryan punish innocent people when I can do something about it?"

"I'd rather you not get yourself killed. Being noble is one thing, but what you've been doing is reckless. You need to calm down, at least for a little while."

Michael's lips thinned, but finally he let out a strained breath. "All right. But I'm not going to stop helping people. I'll just find a different way to keep him busy."

"We can try and do some stuff too, right Geoff?" Gavin supplied.

Geoff hummed. "We'll do what we can. Jack, you keep yourself away from Ryan's suspicions. The last thing we need is you getting caught."

Jack nodded.

Michael turned, hearing a noise from the hall, and then pitched his voice to a whisper. "I need to get going. When should we meet again?"

"A week from now. Same place?" Geoff asked.

Michael shook his head. "We were lucky we weren't followed this time. But we don't know if anyone saw us on our way in here. It'd be best to find someplace else."

Geoff nodded. "Okay. How about that one storage building? The one next to the old mine on the edge of town?"

"Sounds good to me," Michael said. The other two nodded.

The shook hands and then parted ways. Michael left first, not at all eager to get back to Ryan, but unwilling to be caught. The rest trailed out one by one, off to their various jobs in the city. Michael prayed that Jack would get lucky and Ray would wake up, but he knew their chances were slim. He only hoped it would happen before whatever Ryan was planning came to fruition. Otherwise, they'd lose the fragile sheen of hope that Achievement City still harbored.

It was the only thing they had left.

* * *

A few days later, Michael was on a walk with Kerry at his side. Ryan was in a meeting and was feeling generous, so he allowed the two of them to go out and get some fresh air. Michael wasn't complaining, but he'd rather have been able to go out by himself. He alone made the people of Achievement City nervous; they knew that he was in direct contact with Ryan almost all the time, and they didn't want attention called on themselves by associating with Michael. And if Kerry was with him? The people avoided them like the plague.

Michael knew he couldn't blame them, but he still felt the sting of abandonment.

The streets were mostly deserted as they walked on. Long gone were the days when people would stand around idly, talking to neighbors or watching their children play outside. Flowers still bloomed in front of houses, and the lawns were bright with the vibrant green of summer, but the city lacked life. Everyone stayed indoors unless they were working. It gave the city an appearance of a ghost town.

The two of them turned a corner, Michael wincing as his sore ankle twisted on an exposed piece of stone. Kerry didn't react to his show of pain, but that wasn't unusual. Kerry hardly reacted to anything anymore.

The sun was setting, bathing the street in a warm orange glow. Michael squinted against the light. He could make out something at the end of the street, but the sun prevented him from seeing what it actually was. They drew closer, and finally the shape registered in Michael's mind.

A Nether portal rose up from the ground, casting an imposing shadow along the street. It wasn't lit, and so lacked noise, but it still made Michael shiver as he stared at it. With the way it captured his attention, he almost didn't notice the two guards standing next to the portal.

They sneered at him as he walked by, but Michael resisted the urge to give in to the taunting. He wasn't supposed to cause trouble. He knew that, yet the guard's expressions pricked at his skin in a way he didn't particularly care for.

"Jones!" one of them called.

He knew he should have kept walking. But it was just  _so_  tempting.

"What?" he said, turning around with a glare.

The guards grinned triumphantly. "What are you doing out here? Shouldn't you be at Ryan's side like the little bitch you are?"

Michael grit his teeth.  _Don't get involved._  "I'm on a walk with Kerry, what does it look like?"

"Did the King give you his permission?" the guard goaded. It was a simple enough question, but coming from the mouth of the guard it was like a slap to the face.

Michael's spine stiffened. He wanted to say he didn't need Ryan's permission, but that wasn't true. "He allowed me a walk, yes."

The guard glanced between him and Kerry. Kerry looked almost bored, but Michael was on the verge of boiling over, and the guard knew it. "The King's top two bitch servants, out on a walk together. How sweet." A grin spread over the guard's face. "The King's got you wrapped around his finger. I thought you had more pride than that, Jones."

Michael's cheeks flushed angrily. He spun around and stalked off, Kerry trailing after him, expression unchanged. The guards' laughter echoed in his ears. He only had to put up with this for a few more days. Just a few more fucking days and he'd be free.

It couldn't come quick enough.

* * *

Somehow, he managed to evade Ryan for a second time.

The King had to attend to some emergency business and had left urgently, leaving Michael alone. He blessed his luck and hurried through the back streets of Achievement City, expertly dodging guards and monsters alike. It was just after dusk, and he was nearing the storage shed that he'd promise he'd meet the others in.

He paused at the edge of the house across from the shed, catching his breath. The streets were clear of guards, so he quickly sprinted across the open land, skirting around the shed to the door on the back side and slipping in noiselessly. He let out a sigh of relief. He'd made it.

Almost instantly, however, Michael knew something was off. He'd been running late, unable to get past the guards at his doors, and so had expected to enter the room with the other three already inside. But none of them were here.

"Fuck," he whispered, crouching down as a cluster of guards sporting torches and swords ran down the street. He waited until the reflection of the torchlight was gone from the window before peeking out again. Where were the others?

He jumped as the door creaked open behind him and someone stumbled through, quickly shutting the door behind them. Michael stood, heart racing, but calmed when he saw it was just Gavin.

"Gavin!" he hissed.

Gavin spun around, eyes relaxing when he caught sight of Michael. "Michael, thank goodness you're here."

Michael's eyebrows drew together. "Why wouldn't I be?"

Gavin paled. "You didn't hear?"

Michael shook his head, stepping closer. "No, what happened?"

Gavin swallowed. "Geoff was caught trying to get here. The guards took him to the castle, didn't you know?"

Michael shook his head again. Ryan's emergency... he should have known. "Damn it," he hissed.

Gavin nodded. "Jack and I heard and immediately went back home, not wanting to risk it. But we didn't know if you would have heard so I came back out here to warn you."

"But where's Geoff?" Michael asked.

Gavin ran a hand through his hair worriedly. "I have no idea."

Michael let out the breath he was holding and closed his eyes, worrying his bottom lip between his teeth. Geoff had been caught. He was probably on trial right now.

Michael opened his eyes and grabbed Gavin's arm, hauling him out of the room. Gavin squawked indignantly. "What- Michael- where are we going?"

"We're gonna go save Geoff," Michael answered shortly, as if it were obvious.

"But, but  _Michael_ , hold on a second," he stopped, forcing Michael to halt as well.

"What? Why are you stopping? We need to go now!" Michael said.

"We can't just go charging in there, what are we gonna do?" Gavin asked. "We need to think of a plan."

"We don't have time!" Michael hissed. "Gavin, think, Geoff's on trial right now, maybe we can stop this before he gets charged."

Michael tugged Gavin along and Gavin reluctantly allowed him to. "But what if we can't?"

"Don't talk like that," Michael snapped.

Gavin shut his mouth and stayed quiet, letting Michael lead them down the streets. Michael didn't care if any guards saw him at this point. Besides, it seemed as if there weren't any on the streets at the moment.

Soon, he figured out why the streets were more empty than usual.

A large crowd had gathered at the center of the city, the majority of it comprised of guards. The houses that the six of them, including Ryan, had lived in before moving into the castle surrounded the square. Geoff, Jack and Gavin had moved back into theirs when Ryan took the throne again, but the other ones stood dark and empty.

Michael and Gavin pushed through the crowd to the front, elbowing people out of their way to make it to the center of the action. When they finally broke through into the center, Gavin gasped, and Michael felt a bubble of rage rise in his chest.

It seemed as if the trial was over, and Geoff had been found guilty. The only people in the center were Ryan and Geoff. Geoff was on his knees, hands tied behind his back, and tired eyes staring up at Ryan. Ryan stood over him, sword gripped lazily in his hand. The two of them looked up as Michael and Gavin burst into the scene.

"Ah, there you two are," Ryan said, mouth curling into a smile. "I'm glad you could make it."

"Fuck off, Ryan," Michael growled.

Ryan raised an eyebrow. "Now, now Michael. Play nice."

"Like hell I'll play nice. I'll play nice when you're not going to execute Geoff."

"He broke the law," Ryan said. "Treason is punishable by death. You know that."

"So meeting with friends is what you call treason now? Friends you won't even let see each other anymore. What kind of a system is that?" Michael snapped.

"Meeting with friends and plotting to extract me from the throne is very much treason. Something I'm sure you're aware that you, Gavin, and Jack are guilty of as well," Ryan said, eyes cold.

"Are you really willing to execute the four people you used to call your friends all on the same night?" Michael asked.

"If I must, yes," Ryan answered.

"But what about our deal?" Michael demanded.

"You broke your side of the bargain. I told you what would happen," Ryan said, voice cold.

Michael fumed, standing there stock still with his hands clenched into fists. Gavin wouldn't look away from Geoff. They were trapped. There was no way out of this. Even if they decided to fight, they wouldn't get very far. They weren't even armed. Ryan knew this, but still he watched Michael, waiting for him to act with a playful smile on his face.

Michael didn't speak. There was nothing he could do.

"I'm sorry," Geoff said quietly.

"Geoff this is not your fault," Michael said firmly.

"Not just for this," Geoff said, "but for everything in the past. The decisions I made." He looked up and met gazes with Ryan, eyes hard. "The people I trusted."

A muscle in Ryan's jaw jumped. He stared at Geoff and then stepped back, inclining his head slightly. "Well then, if no one else has anything to say."

The people in the crowd other than the guards watched on in horror. Some had tears streaking down their face. Others looked livid and glared hatefully at Ryan, but they were all silent.

Ryan nodded to the guards and a few stepped forward, grabbing Michael and Gavin's arms and restraining them.

"Ryan, please!" Gavin cried, pulling against the hold on his arms.

Ryan didn't look at him, but Michael thought he saw Ryan flinch.

Michael turned to look at Geoff. He was watching Michael with a sad, but resigned look. Geoff nodded and Michael returned it, taking a deep breath.

Ryan stepped back and raised the sword over his head.

"Gavin, don't watch," Michael murmured.

The sword arced through the air, whistling as it sliced down, and-

"WAIT!" someone shouted.

Geoff immediately rolled out of the way. Ryan's sword stuck in the ground, vibrating harshly. Ryan glanced up in surprise, nearly dropping the sword.

"What in the world-" Michael heard the guard behind him say.

Geoff's face was pale and he was breathing heavily, struggling to sit back up with his hands still bound. Gavin gaped openly as someone parted through the crowd, running quickly.

Jack burst into the open area, panting, and looked between the four of them. "Oh, thank goodness."

"Jack, what the hell? Where have you been?" Michael asked.

Jack caught his breath and then straightened. "I've been working, and I have something you might want to see."

Michael's brow furrowed, and then someone let out a shout at the back of the crowd. Almost immediately, the crowd parted again, opening wide as everyone craned their necks to see what was going on.

Gasps hissed through the crowd like a startled wind and a familiar figure staggered into view, stumbling on weak legs.

"Oh," Michael gasped.

"RAY!" Gavin cried, face breaking into an enormous grin.

Ray was pale and shaky, muscles straining to carry himself across the square to reach the others. He smiled at them, though. "Hey, guys," he rasped out, voice nearly inaudible.

Michael turned to Ryan, and couldn't help the smile of satisfaction that broke out on his face when he saw the shock on Ryan's features.

"How..." the King murmured.

Ray turned to him, but he didn't look angry. An expression of deep sadness washed over his features. "Hello Ryan."

Ryan shook off his shock and stood up straight. "There's no way. How did you wake up?"

"That was all Jack," Ray answered, nodding to him.

Jack smiled. "I didn't believe it at first, but I gave him the potion I had been working on and suddenly his eyes just opened. Nearly scared me half to death. I gave him a potion of strength I had to get him on his feet, and we rushed out here as fast as we could."

Ryan scowled. "There's no way," he repeated. "You shouldn't have figured out the antidote."

Jack laughed bitterly. "Well, I had almost two years to work on it. Eventually I would have found the right combination of ingredients."

Ryan shook his head, the hand on his sword tightening.

Ray took a step forward. "It's over, Ryan. You've done enough harm to this kingdom."

"I made it better," Ryan snapped.

Ray shook his head sadly. "No, Ryan. You didn't. I thought I could help you, but you were already lost before I started. It's done."

Ryan's jaw clenched. "Stop pretending like you,  _any_  of you, ever cared for me. You tossed me away."

"How many times do I have to tell you this," Michael snapped, speaking up, "that was you.  _You're_  the one that ran from us. We didn't do shit. You're the one that broke the law and ditched us. We didn't want to hurt you. All we wanted was to help you.  _You're_  the one that tossed _us_  away."

"He's right," Ray said sadly. "I tried, but I wasn't enough."

Geoff finally sat up, kneeling in the dirt. "I would never intentionally harm someone I trusted with my life."

"You should have just come to us," Gavin said.

"QUIET," Ryan bellowed, pulling his sword from the ground and clenching it tightly. "I don't need you.  _Any_  of you. This ends  _now._ "

He turned to the guards and shouted, "Light them!"

Everyone but Ray gasped. He just looked confused. As soon as he saw what Ryan was referring to, however, his face paled even more than it already was.

The guards released Michael and ran off back to their stations next to the Nether portals. They each produced a flint and steel from their pouches and bent down, striking over the obsidian.

Ryan strode over to the nearest portal, the crowd shrinking back away from him. Ryan's cape swirled around his feet as he reached the newly lit portal, standing in front of the shimmering purple light. He turned back towards the crowd and raised his voice, scanning the faces of the people and finally stopping on the five men gathered in the middle.

"None of you ever respected me in my time as king. Your fear was what kept you obedient. But that never did me any good. Now, I'll have subjects that don't know fear." He grinned, eyes flashing. "And they're on their way."

With that, he stepped up into the portal, flickering slightly and then disappearing. The guards followed after him.

The crowd was silent for a moment, and then the panic started.

Michael immediately darted over to Geoff's side and undid his bonds, helping the man to his feet.

"We need to get everyone out of here. Now," Geoff said, eyes flickering over the people in the crowd.

The others nodded, and Jack turned, cupping his hands around his mouth and shouting, "Everyone calm down! Follow Gavin and I. We'll get you out of here."

The crowd, having no other option, surged after Jack and Gavin.

"Lead them to the outskirts of the city!" Geoff called to him. "Take them to the mines and bunker down!"

Jack threw him a thumbs up, and he and Gavin started jogging across the square, disappearing behind Gavin's house.

The crowd cleared out not long after that, but a few people stayed behind. Michael looked into the faces of his old band of knights, smiling at the men and women in the group.

"We'd like to fight, sir, if that is what this is going to come to," one of the knights said. The others nodded in agreement.

Michael cocked an eyebrow. "What, did you think I was going to say no to a fight?"

The knights grinned at him.

"Suit up!" he instructed. "Meet in front of the castle in twenty."

They hustled off, expectant looks on their faces. It had been a long time since they'd taken orders or fought with Michael. It was nice to do it again.

Michael, Geoff and Ray were left standing in the square with the Nether portal staring unblinkingly back at them. Ray let out a shaky breath, and Michael turned to him.

"You doing okay?" he questioned, worried.

"Yeah, I'm just tired. You'd think being unconscious for a year would make you never want to sleep again, but I could really use a nap right now," Ray said.

Michael smiled, and Geoff said, "I'm not surprised. You haven't used your muscles for so long. It's impressive that you even made it out here."

Ray shrugged. "I doubt I would have if Jack hadn't had that potion with him."

"Well, I'm really glad you're awake," Michael said, clapping him lightly on the shoulder, "but we should start preparing."

They hustled off towards the castle as fast as Ray could go. On the way, they gave Ray a brief summary of the past year's events.

"So, what, he's bringing an army from the Nether?" Ray asked as they reached the armory.

Michael and Geoff exchanged a glance. "We're not one hundred percent sure, but that's what it looks like."

Ray swore. "That does not sound good."

"No shit," Michael said, strapping his armor on.

"What do we do?" Ray asked.

"We fight," Michael said simply. "We kill as many of those bastards that Ryan brings through the portal as possible, and maybe we can capture Ryan in the end. If not, we may be forced to..." he trailed off.

A solemn feeling hovered in the air. "What happened to him?" Ray asked quietly.

Michael strapped his sword to his waist. "He cracked. There was nothing we could do."

"I  _tried_ ," Ray said, his voice strained. "I tried  _so_  damn hard. But I guess it didn't help a fucking thing."

"I know," Michael said. "But he's not the man we used to know. If it comes down to it," he paused again, but this time he finished his sentence, "we have to stop him. And if that means killing him, then that's what we have to do."

Ray's fist clenched around his sword. "This ends tonight. No matter what."

"No matter what," the others agreed.

They made their way out to the front of the castle. The knights were standing there, awaiting orders. They looked indescribably happy to see Ray again, and bowed their heads as he passed. Ray smiled at them.

"Knights," Michael said clearly. He regarded the knights stonily, and their faces reflected his expression. "Officially, you realize that you are going to be fighting your King. If we are unsuccessful in stopping him, we will all be tried with treason and sentenced to death."

"He is only our King by title," one of the knights said. "He is not the one that we take orders from. He does not deserve our respect."

"You should always respect the enemy," Michael responded. "Respect him, but never fear him. Do you fear him?"

"No, sir," the knights chorused.

"Good," Michael said. He heard a rustling behind him and twisted to see Jack and Gavin emerge from the woods. He nodded to them and then turned back to the knights. "Tonight, you are to take orders from any of the five of us in battle. Is this clear?"

"Yes, sir."

Michael nodded. "Take up your arms, knights. Tonight you will be battling creatures that you have never seen before. They are dangerous and deadly. Stay vigilant, and, above all, do not surrender."

The knights nodded and then held up their swords and bows, letting out a simultaneous battle cry.

Michael smiled at them, pride stirring in his heart, and then dismissed them. They ran off to station themselves at the portals. Michael, Ray and Geoff waited for Jack and Gavin to suit up before following behind, venturing back into the city. They held their weapons with a grim determination. Gavin and Ray clutched arrows in their left hands, and Gavin had a few small glass bottles full of a swirling blue liquid in a pouch at his hip. Jack favored his ax, and Geoff and Michael carried their swords at their sides, tense and ready for a fight.

"I'm not liking the odds for this one, lads," Gavin said, rolling the arrow between his fingers.

Ray bumped his shoulder. "What are you talking about? We'll be fine."

Gavin shrugged. "It's just that it's something we've never faced before, like Michael said."

"All we can do is hope," Jack sighed.

They reached the square and faced the portal Ryan had disappeared into.

"If you wanna back out, Gav, now's your chance," Geoff offered.

"No way," Gavin said immediately. "I may think that this is a death sentence, but that doesn't mean I'm not going to fight. I'd never miss a good fight."

Michael smiled. "Well, then you'd better prepare yourself, because it looks like we're in it now."

The portal in front of them started to flicker and let out a series of pops and low noises, shaking the ground beneath them. Michael clenched his sword, bracing himself as Ryan stepped out of the portal, blood trickling from a cut on his cheek and a wild gleam in his eyes.

"Show time," Ray whispered.

Ryan raised his head and smiled at them. "They're coming."

Michael shivered, and the hairs on the back of his neck stood up as a cry echoed through the city, and then the monsters were pouring through the portal, and his mind morphed into battle mode.

He let out a cry of his own and charged forward, barely aware of the others at his back. Ray and Gavin fired arrow after arrow into the streaming mass of pigmen. 

The pigmen went down with cries of pain and anger, squealing and writhing on the ground. Arrows stuck out of them like little flags, the feathered ends blowing in the hot air of the pigmens' final breath.

Michael hit the mass of pigmen and immediately impaled one, the shock of the impact vibrating through his arm. He pulled his sword out, the pigman dropping dead to the ground. Hot blood splattered over his arm and chest plate as he spun and sliced. He could vaguely see the others next to him, cutting down the pigmen around them.

Ryan had disappeared in the fray, but Michael was more worried about controlling the mass of creatures in front of him. He could deal with Ryan later.

They were forced back by the sheer number of the creatures almost instantly. Michael looked up and over the teeming mass of monsters at the portal. His stomach lurched. There were already so many in front of him, and they kept coming.

"Geoff!" he shouted.

Geoff stabbed a pigman and then twisted around another one to get to Michael's side. "What?!"

"How do you close a portal?!" he cried, dodging a pigman's sword and slicing at its legs as it lurched towards him.

"You need to break it," Geoff answered, dancing away from a cluster of pigmen. "But it takes a diamond pickaxe and time that we don't have with all these pigmen surrounding it."

Michael looked back to the portal and noted that the amount of pigmen emerging from it had slowed, but he knew that it would pick up soon.

"Help me lure the pigmen away from the portal," he instructed.

Michael looked around and spotted Jack not too far away.

"Jack!" he called.

Jack looked up.

"I need you to destroy the portal!" Michael shouted to him. "We're going to get the pigmen away from here to give you time."

Jack nodded and cut his way to the portal, hefting his pickaxe and immediately swinging it at the obsidian.

Michael lowered his sword and skipped back, drawing the pigmen out and away from the portal. Ray and Gavin caught on, following him back the way they had come from. Geoff stayed to cover Jack as the three of them retreated to the castle, the mass of pigmen running after them.

They passed a few knights that joined their group, stabbing at pigmen that got too close to the three.

The castle came into view and Michael stopped, turning to continue the fight. Gavin swung himself up into a tree, picking off pigmen from above. Ray continued firing off arrows, but Michael could see him getting tired. He swallowed, calling on a hidden pocket of strength and throwing himself back into the fight even harder than before. The pigmen pushed them to the doors of the castle until they were forced to enter. Fortunately, that caused the mass of pigmen to bottleneck at the doors, giving them less monsters to fight at once.

Geoff and Jack emerged from the fray not long after that, triumphant in their breaking of the portal. Jack told Michael that he had spread the word to the other knights and that they were hard at work destroying the other portals in the city. Michael nodded, only half listening. His mind was on the fight now. Pigmen came at them in an unrelenting stream through the doors, causing them to fall even farther back into the castle. Michael swung his sword, decapitating a pigman in one fell swoop, and slicing across another's chest with the same momentum. He ducked one's sword and rolled away from another, stabbing upwards from the ground into a pigman's stomach, and was back on his feet before the creature hit the floor.

Suddenly Michael heard someone cry out in pain from behind him. His head snapped around to see Ray clutching at his thigh. A long gash split open the skin, gushing blood onto his trousers. Michael lurched towards him and thrust his sword through the pigman's chest. The pigman fell, and Michael looped his arm around Ray, dragging him away from the fray. Luckily, the last of the pigmen were coming through the doors, and his friends could take care of it.

"I'm okay," Ray said as Michael sat him on the stairs.

Michael ignored him, checking over the gash himself. It wasn't too deep, but blood smeared the skin, covering Ray's leg with alarming thickness. Michael grabbed the table cloth off the side table by the stairs and ripped it to pieces, tying them around Ray's thigh. When he was done, Michael helped him to his feet, and though Ray was a little shaky, he could stand.

"Thanks," Ray said, wiping the blood off his hands onto his chest plate.

"It's a good thing you won't be doing too much maneuvering," Michael said, nodding to Ray's bow.

Ray grinned. "I knew taking up archery would come in handy."

Michael rolled his eyes as the others made their way over to the two of them.

"Are you okay?" Geoff asked, eyeing Ray's wound.

Ray nodded. "Yeah, I'm all patched up and ready to go."

A series of squeals sounded from outside the castle walls, and they all tensed. "Well, that's good," Gavin said, "'cause it looks like we're gonna need you."

A cluster of pigmen burst into the hall and ran at them, chipped swords raised and bloodied. The group took off down the halls, leading the pigmen deeper into the castle. Ray stumbled, his arrow missing its target but still managing to stick in another pigman's skull, leaving it crashing to the ground.

He stumbled again and Michael shouted, "Ray!"

"I'm all right. I'm all right," Ray assured. Then his leg crumpled under him and he fell to the ground. "Okay, I'm not all right."

The group led the pigmen away from him as Ray called, "Keep going! I'll catch up!"

Michael shot him a worried look but then disappeared around the corner, taking the pigmen with them. One pigman remained behind, targeting Ray, but Ray took it out before it could get close to him. He listened to the others fighting their way down the hall until it was quiet.

He swallowed. He was alone.

* * *

Ray slowly drew himself up the wall, catching his breath and testing his leg. Pain shot through him and he almost fell again, but he caught himself before he could.

"All right, Ray. One step at a time," he muttered. He took a shaky step forward and then another, breathing through his nose. The pain was manageable.

Ray slowly made his way down the hall, clutching his bow in his fist. He was almost out of arrows, but he still had his sword if it came down to that.

Faintly, he could hear the sound of swords clashing in the distance. He followed that, but stopped when he heard someone's voice behind a door to his right. Puzzled, he turned to the door. Was someone still in the castle?

He grasped the handle on the door and pushed it open. The door swung inward easily, revealing someone standing in a dark room by themselves, lit by a single torch. It was Ryan, with nothing but a bow strung to his back, looking up at a dead portal.

Ryan turned at the sound of the door opening and smiled when he saw it was Ray.

"Hello, Ray," he murmured, that familiar smile on his face.

Ray's heart ached. It hurt him to see Ryan like this, but he had to remind himself of what Ryan had done.

 _He poisoned you_ , his mind whispered to him.  _He's been responsible for innocent peoples' deaths._

"Ryan," he said, hating himself for the way his voice broke on the word.

Ryan cocked his head. "I see you've participated in this battle," he said, nodding to Ray's wound.

Ray swallowed thickly. "Yes, I have. It seems your training has come in handy."

Ryan smiled bitterly. "Of course. I had almost forgotten. Do you still remember to-"

"Anchor the bowstring at the corner of my mouth? Yeah," Ray answered.

Ryan chuckled. "Well, I'm glad you picked up on something."

They stared at each other for a long moment before Ray murmured sadly, "What happened, Ryan? Why did you leave?"

"I've told you-" Ryan started angrily.

"No," Ray cut him off, "I want the  _real_  reason. Why did you grow to hate us so much?"

Ryan shifted. "You didn't trust me." Ray opened his mouth to speak, but Ryan held up a hand. "You didn't. I could see it in all of your eyes. The rumors from the people had infected you. You may have believed in me at one point, but it was your doubts that separated us."

"Not me," Ray whispered. "I never stopped believing in you. Never."

Ryan smiled sadly, but Ray could see his eyes blazing. "I couldn't stand the suspicious looks you gave me. The people I called my friends doubting my ability to rule. I could tell I wasn't wanted."

Ray stepped closer until he was right in front of Ryan, looking up into his eyes. "Why didn't you just tell us your fears?"

"It wouldn't have helped," Ryan snarled. "Your trust in me was gone. I had no other options than to leave." He closed the distance between himself and Ray, causing Ray to draw his sword instinctively.

The metallic  _snick_  of the sword scraping against the sheath seemed to startle Ryan before the mask was back. He paused, looking between the sword and Ray.

"Are you going to kill me, Ray?" Ryan murmured.

Ray paused. He could hear Michael's words echoing in his head.  _We have to stop him. And if that means killing him..._  But as he looked at Ryan, stared into the eyes of the man he once called one of his closest friends, he began to doubt himself. He knew that Ryan had to be stopped, but could he actually bring himself to do it? Could he be the one to force the sword through Ryan's chest? Could he watch the life drain from Ryan's eyes and not feel guilt?

His stomach swirled anxiously. Ryan didn't have a weapon other than the bow on his back, and he wouldn't be able to draw it before Ray struck. He had the upper hand here, and it seemed that Ryan wasn't putting up a fight, but doubts stirred in his head.

Ray let out a shaky breath and lowered his sword. "No, Ryan. I'm not going to kill you."

Ryan watched him with interest as Ray slid his sword back into its sheath.

"I'll let the others decide what to do with you, but I won't be the one to deliver the final blow. I can't," Ray finished quietly.

He turned around, away from Ryan's inquisitive stare, and started towards the door.

Ray heard a noise from behind him, but only recognized it as the stretching of a bowstring before it was too late. He heard the whistle of the arrow and felt it pierce the flesh under the left side of his ribs in the meat of his back. He gasped, pain coursing through his body as he fell to his knees.

Ryan walked slowly over to him, and bent down so that his lips were level with Ray's ear. "Maybe you're too noble to kill me, Ray, but I crossed that line a long time ago."

"Ryan-" Ray gasped, chest fluttering in short, shaky breaths. He felt the arrow shift in his back and groaned in pain, eyes slipping shut.

Ryan reached across Ray's body and pulled Ray's sword free from its sheath. He held the sword at Ray's throat, hand steady, diamond digging into the thin skin near his pulse point.

Ray's eyes opened to see Ryan standing over him. "I would say I'm sorry, but that word has lost its meaning to me."

"Ryan-" Ray tried again. The sword pressed closer to his skin, drawing a thin line of blood on his throat and he froze.

Ryan leaned forward, about to apply deadly pressure, when an arrow shot through the air and struck Ryan's hand, causing him to drop the sword with a surprised cry of pain.

Ray looked up to see Gavin standing there, his bowstring quivering and a grim, but pleased look in his eye. The other three stood behind him, bloody and battered, but alive.

"Step away from him," Michael growled.

Ryan held his bleeding hand to his chest, a hateful glare in his eyes.

"It's over Ryan," Geoff said firmly as Jack rushed forward and grabbed Ray, gently pulling him away from Ryan and checking over his wounds.

Ryan shook his head. "No, not quite."

"It is," Michael said. "The portals are destroyed and the pigmen are all dead. You've lost. It's over."

Ryan grinned. "It's not over until the last game has been played, the last trick has been pulled."

Michael glared at him. "What are you talking about?"

In lieu of answering, Ryan let out a shrill whistle in a short pattern. The others winced, looking at Ryan in confusion.

Geoff opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off when a great roar shook the foundations of the castle.

Michael gasped, eyes flickering to Ryan. Ray was as confused and concerned as the others.

"What the hell was that?" Gavin asked.

"That," Ryan said with a satisfied grin, "was Edgar."

"Edgar?" Geoff asked, eyebrows furrowing. "Your cow?"

Ryan's smile grew. "You could say that."

Another roar shook its way through the castle. A painting in the room fell to the floor, frame cracking in half.

"He's free now," Ryan said, "and if you want me, you'll have to kill him first. And he won't fall so easily."

With that he swept passed them, out the door and down the hall before they could react.

* * *

Gavin turned to Michael. "What do we do now?"

Michael sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I guess we have to kill Edgar."

"Guys?" Jack called to them.

They turned towards him.

"Ray's hurt pretty bad. I don't want to leave him here," he said, shifting Ray around. Ray moaned in pain, eyes fluttering shut as he slumped forward into Jack's shoulder.

Michael swallowed. "All right, so we're already down two men. This is starting off well."

"We've still got the knights," Gavin said.

Michael tapped his fingers together. "Yeah, we need to go find them before we confront Edgar." He turned to Jack. "Will you be all right here until we get back?"

Jack nodded. "I'll do what I can for Ray. We'll be here."

"Okay," Michael said. "Okay, good. Let's move."

Gavin followed Michael down the hall, Geoff at his side. They found the knights clustered in the throne room, staring apprehensively at the floor. Quickly, Michael briefed them of the situation, and then they took off together in search of Edgar.

"So, who's Edgar again?" a knight asked.

"He was Ryan's favorite cow," Geoff answered.

"That didn't sound anything like a cow," another knight muttered.

"I don't think Edgar's a cow," Michael said. "Not anymore."

Gavin shivered. He remembered Edgar. They used to tease Ryan about being so particular with the cow. Ryan had cared a lot for Edgar, keeping him safe in his pen at all times.  _He's free now_ , Ryan had said. Gavin shivered again.

The group turned a corner just as another roar caused them to stumble into each other. The ground rocked beneath their feet. Ahead of them at the end of the hall, the stone floor split, cracks spreading all the way back to them. Gavin stepped backwards as the stone crumbled. Another roar. Another jolt. The stone floor cracked again.

"Oh, fuck," Michael gasped, stumbling backwards.

"RUN!" Geoff screamed.

The group spun, sprinting down the hall as the floor burst open behind them, sending stone hurtling through the air. A few knights fell, the stone crashing into their backs. The group kept running, but Gavin looked back and almost screamed at what he saw.

A giant animal rose out of the hole in the floor, about six meters tall. Its curved horns brushed against the ceiling as it turned its head, snorting and shaking the stone dust out of its fur. It looked like a very, very large bull, with wickedly sharp horns and hooves that could crush a human in one step.

"Holy shit!" one of the knights yelled.

A few of them cried out in shock and fear. The thing's- Edgar's- head whipped towards them and he snorted. Edgar dropped down on all fours and roared again. Gavin clamped his hands to his ears, stumbling down the hall as the noise violently rattled through his body. They had just reached the end of the hallway when Edgar started charging. They made the turn and Edgar crashed after them, slamming his body into the wall. He sat, dazed, for a moment, before getting back up and continuing the chase.

Gavin ran as fast as he could down the hallway, the others panting beside him. Their full suits of armor were restrictive now, but they didn't have time to remove them, nor did they particularly want to.

The group tore into the throne room, scattering throughout the room to give Edgar more targets. The beast tumbled through the archway into the hall and froze, staring between the numerous clusters of people in the room. Gavin heaved in a harsh breath and could hear the knights behind him doing the same. They were all exhausted, adrenaline the only thing saving them now.

Edgar roared. He stomped one of his hooves and then darted towards the group closest to him, which happened to be Geoff's. The group turned and ran down one of the halls branching off from the throne room. Gavin listened to the distant footsteps and heavy pants coming from Edgar as he chased the group down the hall.

Gavin and Michael's groups took the chance to recover their breath.

"What do we do now?" Gavin asked. "We can't outrun him forever. And our weapons can't take it down alone."

"We have to try," Michael said, a determined light in his eye. "If we weaken him enough to bring him down, we can trap him and kill him while he's on the ground."

The knights all nodded and Gavin clenched his jaw. It definitely wasn't going to be easy.

They took off down the hall after Edgar and Geoff's group, running as fast as they could while still conserving energy. Soon, they could hear footsteps and the stomping of heavy hooves. They turned a corner and found Edgar standing over Geoff's group, trapped at the end of the hall.

"HEY!" Gavin shouted. Edgar turned his massive head towards him and snarled. "Come get me, you big prick!"

Edgar roared and charged towards him. Gavin sprinted down another stretch of hallway. Edgar was right behind him, his hot breath making Gavin's hair flutter, until he heard Michael's booming yell. "EDGAR! I'm right here, you sack of shit! Come on!"

Edgar stopped, pausing only a moment, before skidding around and chasing after Michael. Gavin was about to run back down the hall when he saw a strange blue light coming from under one of the doors at the end of the hall. He made sure Michael and the other knights had Edgar running between them before darting into the door.

He gasped, catching sight of Kerry at a desk in the back of the room, hunched over a small book and his eyes shining with that same odd blue light.

"Kerry?" Gavin questioned.

Kerry stood, and Gavin noticed his hands were also glowing blue.

Gavin stepped back, drawing his sword. "Are you... are you using magic?"

Kerry didn't answer. He advanced on Gavin, raising his hand, but Gavin beat him to it. He lurched forward, throwing a punch at Kerry's head. Kerry ducked, spinning around him. Gavin followed, tackling Kerry to the ground. This time, his punch didn't miss.

Kerry slumped back, unconscious, and Gavin winced.

"Sorry 'bout that," he muttered quickly, dragging Kerry out of the middle of the floor and propping him up against the wall.

Gavin turned towards the desk, eyes scanning over the book Kerry had been reading from. It was in a language he didn't understand, but in the corner of the page was a drawing of a large animal surrounded in a fuzzy haze, and next to it stood a humanoid figure, its hands glowing with the same fuzzy haze.

Gavin looked between Kerry and the book, and then it clicked in his head. Kerry had been controlling Edgar. But why could he still hear the beast outside, roaring and stomping?

He flipped through the pages of the book and found another picture. This time, it was of the same beast, except the glow was coming solely from its chest. Gavin frowned. That didn't help him much.

He couldn't find anything else in the book and he tossed it to the floor in frustration. Sighing, he raked a hand through his hair and thought. The chest of the beast. So, the heart?

Gavin clutched the hilt of his sword. It was the only hint he had, he might as well go for it.

As he made his way to the door, he heard a small tinkling sound come from his waist. He looked down and noticed the glass bottles in the pouch at his hip. He'd almost forgotten about them. Jack had given them to him when he suited up, saying that they were swiftness potions. Well, if there was a time he'd need to be swift, it would be now.

Gavin uncorked one of the bottles and raised it to his lips. The blue liquid burned lightly as it went down, sort of like alcohol, but without a taste. He shivered and slid the bottle back in his bag. His whole body tingled.

Praying that it worked, Gavin unsheathed his sword and rushed out the door. The walls blurred past him as he sprinted down the hall towards the fight. The knights had brought Edgar to his knees, the beast swaying as they hacked at his legs. He roared, but it was quieter this time, and yet he wouldn't come down.

"Come on!" Michael yelled. "Die, you fuck!"

Gavin took a deep breath and let out a yell, hurtling towards the beast. He vaulted over a fallen piece of rock and held his sword above his head. He shot towards Edgar, his speed and momentum giving him the lift he needed to reach the beast's chest. His sword sank right between Edgar's ribs and straight into his heart.

Gavin let go of his sword and dropped to the ground, body jolting as his legs took the impact of the fall.

Edgar let out a final roar and collapsed onto his side, blood spilling out of the wound on his chest. Gavin stumbled shakily over to the body, the after effects of the potion leaving him tired and jittery. He pulled his sword from Edgar's chest and slumped back, watching as Edgar stilled.

The room was quiet for a moment, before the knights let out a great cheer and ran towards Gavin.

"That was amazing!" Geoff cried, wrapping his arms around Gavin. "How the hell did you do that?"

"I'll explain later," Gavin said, his body exhausted, but unable to rest yet. "Let's go find Ryan."

* * *

They found him in the library, staring into the flames of a dying fire.

"Edgar is dead," Gavin said as he entered the room.

"Well done," Ryan murmured softly. "It seems you have beaten me."

"It's over now," Michael said firmly. "For good."

"Yes," Ryan said. "I suppose it is."

Geoff and Michael each grabbed one of his arms and pulled him from the room. Before they left, however, Ryan spoke again. "Tell me," he said, "is Ray alive?"

Geoff and Michael exchanged a glance. "Yes," Michael said. "He survived."

Ryan nodded but didn't say anything more.

He was taken to trial and found guilty of nearly every crime imaginable. However, they didn't kill him, despite the people wanting them to.

"We want to keep you under our watch," Geoff said. "And we think maybe you could learn something by watching us in return."

"You are unwilling to kill me," Ryan observed quietly.

"Yes," Geoff said honestly. "But it is not cowardice. It is not weakness." He made sure Ryan was looking at him before continuing. "It is compassion. It is forgiveness." He sighed. "Maybe it's the wrong decision, but we're not ones to give up so easily. We're giving you a second chance, Ryan, and you'd better damn well use it."

Ryan was placed in the dungeons on constant guard. He had been quiet since the trial, but that harsh glint in his eyes seemed to have diminished.

Jack studied the book Gavin had found and discovered a way to cure Kerry, and now he was recovering alongside Ray. He barely remembered any of his time as Ryan's servant, and the others were reluctant to fill him in.

A few days after the trial, Michael found Gavin in a tree near the training fields, watching the sunrise.

"You're up early," he called up to Gavin.

Gavin started and looked down, almost tumbling out of the tree. Michael snorted and climbed up, settling next to Gavin on the branch.

"So are you," Gavin pointed out.

Michael shrugged. "I couldn't sleep."

"Me neither," Gavin said.

They were quiet, listening to the last sounds of the night as the sun rose over the trees, pale colors of morning backing the golden beams streaking across the sky.

"How's Ray?" Gavin asked after a moment.

"Better. Jack says he'll be up in a week or two, depending on if he can get Ray to stay in bed."

The two of them chuckled. Gavin shivered, the cold of morning creeping over his skin. Michael turned away from him and rummaged in his bag, eventually finding what he was looking for and pulling it out.

In his hands he held a golden crown. But this was unlike any kind of gold Gavin had seen before. It shimmered with an odd orange light, looking similar in appearance to the sunlight on the horizon. Michael leaned forward and placed it on Gavin's head, letting it settle into Gavin's sandy hair.

Gavin reached up and touched it in shock. "Wait, what-"

"The knights think you deserve it," Michael said. "And I think once the city hears of what you did, they will too." He paused, pursing his lips. "It suits you."

"But... Michael, I'm not a king. I don't even-"

Michael just smiled. "Hey, we all had to start somewhere. Might as well, right?"

Gavin stroked a hand over the smooth surface. The metal was warm under his shaking fingers.

"Yeah. I think I'll give it a shot," Gavin said with a smile.

"That's the spirit!" Michael cheered. Then he knocked his shoulder into Gavin's, face suddenly serious. "I'll still be head knight, right?"

Gavin rolled his eyes. "Of course, you idiot."

"Hey, if anyone's the idiot here, it certainly isn't me," Michael teased.

Gavin snorted. "That's no way to talk to your king."

"Yes, sire. Of course, sire. Apologies, my liege," Michael said, bowing his head and smirking.

Gavin nudged him hard enough that Michael had to scramble to grab onto the branch, in danger of falling off.

"Very mature, King Gavin," Michael said.

Gavin laughed, but he liked the sound of it. Yeah, he could definitely get used to being called King.

It was about time.


	6. King Gavin

A single candle cast flickering shadows in the middle of a dark room, hardly doing anything to combat the chill radiating off the stone walls. It was quiet in the room, the only sound a slight series of clicks and dull thuds until a new sound arose. Footsteps tapped against the floor, steadily approaching the candle with a careless gait.

The footsteps paused as they reached the center of the room. Two gloved hands appeared, barely lit by the hazy glow of the candle, and pressed into the rotting wood of the table the candle rested on. The hands were followed by forearms clothed in a rich, clean fabric that contrasted against the decay on the table. Nothing else appeared in the light; the man had no reason to be seen.

Two purple ovals hovered a few feet in front of the man, shining brightly against the darkness. He had to crane his head to look up at them.

"You know what to do, correct? You understand?"

The purple lights blinked off and on. The man nodded in satisfaction.

"Good." His hands disappeared from the light as he clasped them together, bringing them up under his chin. "You may proceed."

A harsh noise split the air and then the purple lights were gone. The candle flickered, distorting the shadows on the man's face. He bared his teeth in a sharp smile.

There was no going back now. Soon, he would have what he needed, and then the rest would fall into place.

He blew out the candle.

* * *

From his perch in the tree, Gavin could see for miles. The tree was his favorite in the kingdom; its limbs stretched farther up into the sky than any other, and the way the branches twisted together created a perfect canopy for him to rest in, and also protected him from the harsh rays of the midday sun. Though it was fall, and the sun wasn't as strong, it was still just as warm. It had rained continuously for nearly a week, and the cloudless sky was a welcome respite from the usual cold. Gavin thrived on the sun, and he'd been eager to return to basking in it.

Because the tree was so tall, it provided Gavin with the best view of the kingdom. To his left rose the tall stone spires of his castle, taking up a large expanse of the land in front of him. Beyond the castle were the grounds surrounding it, the garden that Ray spent most of his time these days in, and the forest that went on so far in front of Gavin that it disappeared over the horizon line. The training grounds were to his right, and Gavin often spent the sessions he didn't participate in watching Michael lead the knights through the different drills he knew by heart from his spot in the tree.

He knew that Geoff worried about him in the tree. It was pretty tall, and with the reputation Gavin had, it made sense that Geoff was nervous about their new king tumbling from the branches.

Gavin reached up to stroke the source of the still unfamiliar weight on his head. His crown was warm from sitting under the sun for so long. He still wasn't used to finding it resting in his hair, or seeing it out of the corner of his eye every time he caught his reflection.Though Michael had said after a while being king would come naturally to him, he had yet to experience that revelation. He didn't see himself as king, and still found himself turning to Michael, or even Ray occasionally, and nearly asking their permission for something before realizing he didn't need it.

He did, however, quickly come to enjoy the certain freedoms that being king brought him. Like now, for instance, as he rested in the tree and didn't have to worry about answering to anyone, or-

"Sire! My liege!"

Gavin sighed. He'd hoped the light brown of his cloak would have hidden him more from view, but if someone had been searching for him, of course his favored tree would have been the first place they'd look.

"King Gavin? Are you there? Sire-"

"Sorry, yes, I'm here!" he called down to whoever was below him. The voice was vaguely familiar, which meant it was probably one of his servants. "What is it?"

He leaned over and saw a young girl standing at the base of the tree. Her hands were clasped in front of her, and she was holding a dirty rag in between her slim fingers. She must have hurried from cleaning one of the rooms of the castle. Gavin tried to remember which rooms were scheduled for a wash, but the information was lost among other thoughts rattling around in his head.

The girl craned her neck, shoulders relaxing as she finally spotted her king. "There's a messenger waiting for you in the Grand Hall, sire."

Gavin nodded and gripped the branch below him, picking himself up and swinging his leg over the branch so that he could drop down to the next one. He was careful to throw his scarf over his shoulder, lest it get tangled in his legs and cause him to tumble out of the tree. The branches creaked when he touched down on them, but they sprung back up as he leaped off with a youthfulness that was uncharacteristic for a tree as old as this one was.

He continued descending until he finally touched down on the ground amid a flurry of red and gold leaves.

Gavin flashed a grin at the girl and she immediately gathered up her skirts and dropped into a curtsy. "Sorry to interrupt you, sire, but the messenger said it was important."

"It's no problem." He smiled at her again, but she missed it as her head was still bowed in respect. "Did he say what it was about?"

The girl finally looked up, shaking her head slightly. "No, not really. He mentioned that it had come from far away, but besides that all he told me was to find you."

"Wonderful," Gavin said. "Lead the way."

She nodded. "Of course, sire."

The girl turned away and walked quickly through the trees, her long skirts brushing over the fallen leaves and dying grass. Gavin followed her, enjoying the last minutes of sun before he was inevitably trapped in the castle once again.

They broke through the tree line together and the castle loomed up ahead of them, casting its long shadow over the grounds. Gavin's boots clicked as they hit the stone path leading up to the doors. They entered, the doors falling shut behind them as they made their way into the throne room. Like the girl had said, a messenger stood in the middle of the room, a scroll of paper gripped tightly in his hand.

The messenger heard them enter and began walking towards them, meeting them halfway. The servant girl excused herself with another curtsy and scurried off down a side hallway. Gavin watched her go and then turned to the messenger, holding out his hand for the paper.

"News from the edges of the kingdom, your highness. From the land of Ourea," the messenger said, handing the paper over.

Gavin blinked in surprise. "Ourea? Has Michael sent word?"

The messenger nodded, watching Gavin unroll the paper. "Sir Jones would like to inform you that his party will return in a week, a fortnight at most, and that there appears to be no immediate danger from the area."

Gavin scanned the sheet, picking out key phrases in Michael's familiar handwriting.  _Nothing to worry about. The damn mountains are holding us up, but we'll be back soon. It'd be better if we spoke in person._

He rolled up the paper and stuffed it into his belt, stepping back. "Right. Thanks for that."

The messenger bowed. "Is there anything else you require, sire?"

"No, this is top," Gavin said distractedly, his mind already racing.

The messenger left, and as soon as the great wooden doors fell shut behind him, Gavin took off down the halls. Michael had left for Ourea, one of the closest kingdoms to Achievement City, nearly three weeks ago. He'd only brought a small group of knights with him, reassuring Gavin and the others that it was merely a scouting mission. Since they'd overthrown Ryan, the kingdoms surrounding Achievement City had been far too quiet for their liking. Normally their relations with the kingdoms were friendly, if a little distant. But in nearly three months nothing foreign had come inside their borders. His stomach twisted with a now familiar unease. He hadn't even received anything from his home kingdom of Ash, though he'd written to his parents many times.

Gavin meandered through the darkened hallways near the back of the castle; the windows at the back faced the East, and so little sunlight shone through them at this time of day, and the torches weren't yet lit. He passed numerous guards, servants, and knights, all of whom bowed to him as he walked by. He smiled at them brightly whenever they did despite his mood.

He turned a corner and entered the hall that housed the chambers of his companions, knocking on Geoff's door twice before letting himself in. His friend stood near the window, letting the light warm his bare skin as he buckled his pants.

Gavin snorted. "Just waking up?"

Geoff flashed him a disparaging look and snagged his shirt off his bed, tugging it over his head. "Some of us like to sleep in on our days off, you know. Especially with how much we all indulged last night."

Gavin's head throbbed in a painful reminded. "Excuses, Geoffrey." He grinned.

Geoff rolled his eyes. "What do you want, idiot?"

Gavin  _tsked_  lightly. "Now, now, is that anyway to talk to your-"

"I will not hesitate to hit you, Gavin Free," Geoff threatened, though the way his lips teased up at the corners indicated his true mood.

"Seriously, what's up?" His eyes fell on the paper crushed between Gavin's belt and his waist. "News?"

Gavin nodded. "Michael sent word."

Geoff perked up. "Really? What did he say?"

"Not a lot," Gavin answered.

"He said there wasn't anything to worry about, which is good, I guess, and that he'd talk to us more when he returned."

"How long?"

"At least a week."

Geoff sighed. "What's keeping him so long? None of us thought that Ourea would prove to be an issue. He should have been back by now."

Gavin ran his fingers through is hair and shrugged. "I dunno. Your guess is as good as mine."

"Well, at least he knows the area well. I'm sure he's visited the mountains many times with his home village being near the border," Geoff said.

Gavin nodded. "That's one of the reasons he was so eager to go, and one of the reasons I allowed it. He knows what he's doing."

Geoff sat down on the edge of his bed, leaning over to lace up his boots. "So, are you going to join me for the training session today? The knights could use a little pick up from their king with Michael gone. And I know Ray wanted to do some archery work with you."

Gavin hooked his thumbs in his belt. "I've got a few meetings. I'll try and see if I can slip off, though."

Geoff moved forward and clapped Gavin on the shoulder. He said, "Well, do what you can. Being king comes first."

They left the room together but parted ways outside the door. Gavin watched Geoff go with a cold feeling settling in his chest. He knew Geoff was right, that leading the kingdom was more important than anything else, but he also hated missing yet another training session. Their knights had seemed a little downcast lately, and Gavin had suspected that it had to do with Michael being gone. He wanted nothing more than to ease their spirits.

It had also been a long time since Ray had been able to practice with them. After nearly being killed by Ryan in the battle that had overthrown their ruthless ex-king, it had been months since Ray had been able to even stand. Lately he'd looked healthier, and Jack had finally let him begin training and getting his strength back. Gavin ached to practice bow skills with Ray, something he hadn't done since the younger man had been king.

Gavin sighed. He loved being king, he truly did, but sometimes he wished the well being of his kingdom wasn't only resting on his shoulders.

He knew that his companions thought differently. Though they were his friends, they were also his advisers, the most trusted men on his Guard. They didn't just live in the castle with him because they were close, though that was part of the reason. They served their king and provided him with advice, and he relied on them more than anyone else in the kingdom. Gavin knew that they would gladly take on more duties if he asked that of them; they'd bear the weight of the kingdom with him and wouldn't question it, but he couldn't do that. They were counting on him to rule the kingdom, and he wanted to prove that he could.

He only hoped that he wouldn't regret it.

* * *

The stone steps leading down into the dungeons of Achievement City were slick with damp, creating little puddles that shimmered in the low torchlight. The room was located under the castle, and the stone was suffering because of it. It was difficult to walk without slipping on the vestiges from the past week's storms. Ray took his time down the steps, muscles protesting his movements. Every step had been a challenge for him as he worked to get his strength back. He knew he should be resting, especially if he decided to train later in the afternoon, but this was important. There was one man Ray hadn't been able to see, to speak to, since the battle. He had a chance now and he wasn't about to lose it.

Two guards were stationed outside the door that lead to the actual cells themselves. Ray knew there were more guards inside, at least one for each prisoner, though there were probably more than one guarding the ex-King.

"Sir," one of the guards said upon spotting Ray, holding up a hand.

Ray paused, regarding both of them steadily, and said nothing.

The first guard lowered his hand. "I mean no disrespect, sir, but shouldn't you be resting, or at least have an escort?"

Ray straightened his back, ignoring the sharp pain under his ribs. "Knights," he replied. "I'm here to see Ryan."

* * *

Gavin strolled down one of the many streets branching away from the kingdom. Various crews still worked to clean the streets, repairing the damage done by the pigmen. The bodies of the fallen had long since been cleared away, but there were still darkened blood stains seeping between the cobblestones. Gavin ran his hand over the polished wood of his bow, remembering the fear and panic the whole kingdom had shared for that day. So many knights had been killed: men and women, friends, that he had fought with since he had first arrived in Achievement City. They had been more than just knights, they had been his brothers and sisters.

He shook away the grief as he entered the center of the bustling common area. Smiles broke out on peoples' faces as they spotted him. He waved to a few and returned the smiles of excited children, then made his way to the large block of stone at the edge of the square.

"Jack!" Gavin called as he reached the stone.

The carpenter halted the swing of his ax and then righted himself as the movement upset his balance. He set his ax by his feet and turned to face the young King. "Hey, Gavin. What's up?"

"Came to check on how the statue is coming." Gavin shoved his hands in his pockets and rocked back on his heels. "Where's Ray?"

Jack leaned against his ax and pulled his protective goggles up to rest on his hair. "He's around. I think he went to grab some stone from the mines."

"He can handle that?" Gavin asked.

Jack shrugged. "He knows his strength. Besides, there's not a lot left to do. We won't need much more stone."

Gavin nodded, eyes scanning over the half-finished structure. It was being built to commemorate the battle, with designs of portraits and pigmen and knights carved into the stone. The main focus of the statue was a towering likeness of Edgar, and Gavin himself perched in a full sprint towards the beast, sword outstretched. Michael and Geoff stood near Edgar, surrounded by knights and valiantly hacking at the animal. Around the base of the statue were small scenes that represented different aspects of the battle: Jack holding various bottles of potions, Ray clutching his bow, staring defiantly at Ryan, and finally the five of them in front of Ryan, their clothes torn and bloody, but with victorious looks on their faces. Jack really had an eye for detail. Gavin could make out the fierceness in Michael's face, the slight hint of regret in Ray's, the determination in Jack's. But it was the nearly unreadable expression on Ryan's face in the last panel that really got to Gavin.

"I like it," he finally commented, running his fingers over the minute details.

"You should," Jack quipped, gently batting Gavin's hand away. "You designed it yourself, and none too humbly, either."

Gavin shrugged. "You did the work. Also, that was a big part of the battle," he said, nodding to Edgar and himself. "I became king for doing that. It makes sense that it should be the focus of the statue."

Jack rolled his eyes but didn't argue. "Anything else, my liege?"

Gavin shook his head. "Keep up the good work. Make sure to tell me when you've finished."

Jack smiled and turned back to his work. As he moved, he caught sight of the paper still trapped under Gavin's belt.

"What's that?"

Gavin perked up. "Oh, right! Michael sent a letter."

Gavin proceeded to tell Jack a story similar to what he'd told Geoff. Jack reacted in nearly the same way Geoff had.

"So he's still in the mountains?" Jack asked worriedly, running his thumb over the handle of his ax. "If he's there much longer he might get trapped by the winter."

"He'll be back before the snow hits," Gavin stated firmly. Still, unease swirled in his stomach. "Don't worry. I'll let you guys know if any other messages arrive."

Jack bowed his head. "Good. I should get back to work."

"Yes, you should," Gavin teased. Jack snorted and pulled his goggles back down over his eyes.

Gavin turned away, making his way back towards the castle. He had some letters to write to the other kingdoms, and he'd been putting them off too long. Gavin sighed, wrapping his scarf tighter around his neck. He'd been petitioning to get a better trade route between the kingdoms. Before he could construct it he needed the permission of the other Kings and Queens around him. He'd only heard from Queen Dyna of the kingdom of Raize so far, but that had just been her stating that she needed to consult with her advisers before she made a decision. That had been two months ago, and none of the other monarchs had replied. It was starting to worry Gavin; with the trade route as it was, and if they got no word from the other kingdoms soon, they would start to run low on supplies. Achievement City could normally support itself, but with the way it had been growing lately, it relied on the agriculture from Core, and the fish from Ino and Altar. Dyna had made no comment on their monthly iron supplies either, and they were in need of fresh weapons.

Gavin ran a hand through his hair in agitation, stepping through the large doors of the castle and heading towards the meeting room. He needed to gather his Guard and discuss the matter soon. If he waited too long, the kingdom would weaken, and they didn't need that so soon after Ryan. And with Michael gone as well, and potentially delayed even further by the snow, Achievement City needed all the help it could get.

Gavin just hoped that he could provide it.

* * *

"Sir, are you sure the King would want you to..." one of the guards started tentatively. He shifted on his feet, bouncing slightly.

Ray smiled calmly. "I'll only be a few minutes. Besides, there's nothing Ryan can do to me where he is."

The other guard still had a pained look on his face. "Ray-" the guard started, dropping the formality. Ray thought he recognized him from the battle; he could picture the knight plunging his sword into a pigman about to slice Ray's arm off. "I don't think it's a good idea. You're still weak." He had the same hint of an accent Gavin did, and Ray assumed he must have come from Ash along with the King.

"Trust me. I'll be fine," Ray said. The guards finally sighed and stepped away from the door. There was no law against visiting prisoners in the dungeons, and they knew they could do nothing to stop him. It was only friendly advice keeping them from letting him in.

"Last cell on the right." The second guard opened the door and pointed down the dim hall. Ray spotted a few more guards sitting in chairs along the hall.

Ray stepped through the door, and the guards watched him as he made his way to Ryan's cell. Before he reached it, he turned back. "Could you give me a moment?" he asked.

The guards hesitated. If it had been anyone else, they would have refused instantly. As it was Ray, however, one of their former kings, they weren't eager to deny him. The guards nodded and stood, exiting the room and shutting the door behind them, leaving the room in silence.

There were only two other prisoners besides Ryan in the dungeon, and they were there for minor crimes. One was asleep, curled up under a thin blanket. The other watched Ray balefully, a nasty cut on his bare arm smeared with dried blood that he must have gotten when he was arrested.

Ray turned his back on them and finally stepped in front of Ryan's cell. His stomach flipped, as at first he thought the cell was empty. Upon closer inspection, he noticed a slim figure leaning against the back wall, arms crossed over its chest. Ryan's shirt was open in the front, and Ray could see the scarred skin of his chest stretching painfully over Ryan's ribs. The burns on his stomach and arms shined over the muscle he still had with a silvery-red glimmer. He'd grown a short beard in the three months he'd been in the dungeon, the only place it didn't cover being the old, thick scar on his cheek. There was a fresh cut splitting his lip, and Ray reminded himself to talk with Gavin about how the knights treated their prisoners.

Taking a deep breath, Ray finally forced himself to meet Ryan's eyes. He winced a little at the hollow look in them and the shadows darkening the skin underneath. His face was freckled with dirt; it was in his hair, too, dulling the normal shine.

"Hey," Ray finally forced out, shifting on his feet. His muscles were already tired, and he was tempted to pull over a chair. He knew he shouldn't sit when Ryan had to stand, even though Ryan was a prisoner, but that didn't stop him from wanting it.

"Ray," Ryan said. "What a pleasant surprise."

Ray shrugged. "I'd been meaning to visit. I finally got the chance."

Ryan raised an eyebrow. "Why would you want to visit me? I'm no use to you anymore. I have no power, or any title. I'm a prisoner." Ryan scoffed. "Worse than that. I'm a 'treasonous son of a bitch'."

Ray snorted. "Is that what the guards tell you?"

"One of their fondest insults, and least profane. The mouths on the knights, honestly," Ryan said, rolling his eyes up to stare at the ceiling. "I thought they were meant to be good role models."

"Michael is their leader. What did you expect?" Ray said.

Ryan chuckled. "I suppose that's true."

Ray sat back on his heels and fought down a wince. Ryan was watching him, and Ray knew he didn't miss the action. He hoped Ryan wouldn't comment on it.

"So, what are your reasons for visiting me?" Ryan finally asked.

Ray sighed. "I just wanted to talk." He paused and then rubbed his eyes. "Actually, I came to listen. I'm sure you've needed someone other than the knights to talk to cooped up in here like this."

Ryan went quiet, and for a moment Ray wondered if he shouldn't have come. Maybe he'd misjudged how much Ryan had changed. Maybe Ryan wasn't willing to talk after everything that had happened. But, Ray decided, he didn't care. There were some things he needed to know about Ryan, and this might be the only chance he got.

He waited patiently as Ryan pushed his hair out of his eyes, scanning Ray's face. They didn't move, Ray letting Ryan read his eyes to make sure Ryan knew he was being serious.

The sleeping prisoner let out a snore, startling Ray and jolting Ryan out of his trance. With a long exhale, Ryan slowly dropped down, folding his legs in front of him and pressing his back against the wall. Ray eagerly took the chance to pull over a chair and swing his leg over the wood, straddling it and resting his arms on the back.

"What should I talk about?" Ryan asked quietly.

Ray shrugged. "Anything. I'm sure there's at least one thing you want to get off your chest."

Ryan looked down at his hands. "There's a lot that you don't know about me, Ray. And there are some things better left alone. I don't-" He paused. "There are some things I can't explain."

"We've got time," Ray replied.

Ryan's eyes flicked to Ray's face.  Then he sighed, took a deep breath and began to speak.

"You know, Achievement City was my first real home," he started, picking at the fraying edge of his pants. "I was born in Core, and my family was full of farmers. About five generations of us had worked the same land. We were lucky. The soil didn't dry out or lose nutrients, and the area was in a prime spot for rainfall each year." He paused. "Then my parents died when I was still a child, and a fire swept through the land, burning down my house and destroying the year's crops and the soil along with it.

"I lost everything," Ryan murmured, "and I wasn't old enough to try and heal the land by myself. I had no other family. I had to learn to care for myself, living off the land and staying near the edges of villages but never getting too close. I had passed through so many kingdoms that by the time I got to Achievement City I thought it would be the same. But Geoff gave me a reason to stay. I had a home, and people who could grow to care about me."

"Then why did you try to destroy that?" Ray asked quietly.

Ryan sighed, ripping off the string on his pants he'd been toying with and wrapping it around his finger. "After the battle, something changed. Achievement City was no longer the infant kingdom I had known. We had experienced bloodshed and death. There was so much loss, and it was too familiar. I didn't want to let everything I had worked for slip through my fingers, not when I could do something about it. I needed to keep Achievement City safe..." He tightened the string, and Ray could see the blood trapped in his finger gather and turn purple. "I thought I knew how to do it. But I was wrong."

Ray's eyes widened slightly. "I didn't think you'd admit that."

Ryan frowned. "No, I was wrong. Everything I did, every choice I made, was wrong in some form." Ryan let the string loose and flexed his finger. "But I know why I did it, and no matter how hard I try, I can't imagine myself doing it any different."

"That's in the past, Ryan. I'm not saying what you did wasn't horribly and shitty, but it's over now. You can move on, maybe even try and get yourself some redemption," Ray said.

Ryan's head snapped up and he shot up from the ground, stalking forward. Ray stood too, bracing himself against the chair. Ryan was nearly at the bars when the chains circling his wrists yanked him backwards, pulling on the raw skin.

Ryan growled and fixed Ray with a sharp look, fire in his eyes. "You're mistaking me for someone I'm not anymore. I don't  _deserve_ redemption."

"Everyone deserves a second chance, Ryan."

"What I did..." Ryan took a deep breath, calming his heaving chest. "It was unforgivable. I don't understand how you can just brush it off like that. How can you forgive me when I'm not even sure I could ever forgive myself?"

There was a vulnerability in Ryan's eyes that Ray hadn't seen since he had first come to Achievement City. It reminded him of something, but he wasn't sure of what.

Ray reached forward and circled his fingers around the bars of Ryan's cell. "Some people spend their whole lives trying to decide what the right thing to do is. Some people never figure it out. You... You thought you did, but you were wrong. You made mistakes, and part of the blame has to fall on me and the others. Most of the fault was your own, but that doesn't mean you can't learn from it."

Ryan closed his eyes. "Why are you helping me?" he murmured, the chains on his ankles scraping on the stone as he shuffled his feet.

Ray swallowed. "I'm helping you because... Because I'm not giving up on you. No matter what you did to us, and to this kingdom, I know the real Ryan still exists. I know you're in there somewhere, and it may take years to find you, but I'll be here to help you find your way. I promise."

"You can't hope for a hopeless man, Ray," Ryan said, opening his eyes.

Ray shook his head. "Here's the thing, Ryan. I trust you. I always have. I trust you, and the only time I didn't was when you gave me a reason not to." Ray locked eyes with Ryan and whispered, "So don't give me a reason not to."

Ryan backed up to where he had been when Ray first walked in, chains dropping to coil on the ground. "You're making a mistake, Ray. I can't do what you're asking. I can't be that man."

Ray backed away too, placing the chair back in its original spot. "Try."

He turned away, a tightness in his chest, walking out of the door and past the guards without a word. His muscles ached as he climbed the stairs, but he hardly noticed.

His mind was full of ghosts.

* * *

Michael pulled his cloak tighter around his body, cinching it at the neck and letting the furs warm his frigid skin. He had put his hood down so he could hear, but with the roaring wind overpowering all other sound he was tempted to put it back up again. Small flakes of snow swirled in front of his face, nowhere near the heaviness of the storms that would hit in a few weeks, but it still made him nervous.

His group of knights was gathered behind him, shivering against the cold. They had stopped in the mountains on the border of Achievement City and Ourea to rest for the night. The knights leaned on each other for support, eyes barely open and fingers blue and raw from scrambling up the mountain side. They didn't complain, but Michael could see the exhaustion behind their eyes and weariness on their faces. With the journey down the mountains they had ahead of them, he wanted to give them a chance to regain their strength.

"Scout the area! See if you can find a cave or an outcropping we can use as shelter!" Michael shouted over the wind. The cold nearly stole his breath away.

His knights scattered off in pairs, searching the icy rock. Michael let his bag slide off his shoulder and bent down with it, digging past the papers from Ourea. He had so much to tell Gavin and the others, but he'd already sent the messenger away. It would have to wait until he got back.

His fingers closed on the flint and steel he'd packed right as one of his knights called to him.

"There's a cave, sir!"

Michael grabbed the strap of his bag and jogged over to where his knights were standing. One of them gestured to a slim crack in the side of the mountain, about the width of a small man. Michael shed his armor and squeezed through the crack. The space opened out into a large cavern. Icicles dripped from the ceiling, creating crystalline stalactites and stalagmites. He glanced at the one closest to him and it threw his reflection back at him, muddied and warped. The ice was disorienting enough to hide someone, and he wasn't willing to lose a perfectly good shelter. Putting a hand on his sword, he started forward, letting his knights follow him as he scouted out the cave. It stretched back a few dozen feet and then banked to the left, dropping off into a dark precipice. Despite the dizzying feeling he got from not being able to see to the bottom of the hole, he instantly felt safer. One exit was easier to protect, and, since they'd searched the whole space, there could be nothing else hiding in the cave.

He ordered his knights to start setting up camp and moved to make a fire. One of the knights had a bag full of dry wood and tinder, which Michael used to construct the fire. The tension seemed to ease out of the knights as they saw the flickering of the flames reflect over the ice. Michael relaxed, too.

One of the knights sat at the entrance to the cave, settling down to keep watch. The others undid their bedrolls and laid them out on the ice. Michael joined them, exhaustion seeping from his bones as he stretched out on the mat. They'd wake at dawn tomorrow and hit the bottom of the mountain two sundowns from now. After that it would take a week or so to reach Achievement City. He sighed, wrapping his blanket around his body and repressing a shiver. He ached to be back home.

* * *

Michael was jolted awake by someone's hand covering his mouth and something cold at his throat. His eyes flew open and met startlingly bright green-blue ones. The stranger's face was wrapped in a scarf lined in fur, and his hood was up, leaving only the man's eyes uncovered.

Michael looked down and noticed that the cold biting at his neck was caused by the blade of a short sword. His eyes flashed to the knight on watch duty, and he noticed the man was asleep. He couldn't exactly blame the exhausted knight for falling asleep at his post, but it still sparked some frustration in Michael.

The stranger released Michael's mouth and brought his gloved finger up to his own lips, signalling for Michael to be quiet. Michael warily listened to the man as he stood and backed away, gesturing towards the exit with the short sword.

The wind had died down outside the cave, but Michael still wrapped his cloak tighter around himself, casually gripping his sword under his cloak. He was joined shortly after by the man slipping through the crack and turning to face Michael.

"All right, who the fuck are you, and why did you wake me up?" Michael growled.

"I think I should be asking why  _you_  are in _my_  cave."

Michael's eyes widened. He couldn't exactly tell because of the scarf obscuring the stranger's mouth, but it sounded as if-

The man reached up and pulled his hood down while undoing the scarf in one smooth motion. As the hood fell, it revealed flowing, bright red hair, and the face of a- woman?

"Wait, who are you? You're a-"

"A woman?" she answered with a laugh. "I get that a lot. But seriously, why are you in my cave? I kind of wanted to sleep there tonight."

Michael was still caught off guard. The woman's hair was intense against the muted white of the snow, and the look on her face suggested kindness, but also a certain fierceness, as if she'd be happy to kill for someone, but would be courteous about it. She stared at him, waiting for his answer, but he was caught up in the eyes that had intrigued him upon first glance. She was... beautiful.

"I, uh..."

"You're their leader, right?" she asked. "I saw the diamond sword you're attempting, poorly, to hide and figured you were in charge. Am I correct?"

Michael cleared his throat, finally shaking himself out of his shock. "Yes, I am. My name is Michael, Sir Michael Jones, and we hail from Achievement City."

"I am Lindsay Tuggey of Ourea," she said.

He reached forward and took her hand, placing it gently to his lips. "It's a pleasure, Miss Tuggey."

She rolled her eyes and smirked. "Well, Sir Jones-"

"Please," Michael interrupted, "call me Michael."

She regarded him carefully, eyes scanning his face, her lips pursed faintly. Finally, she flashed a genuine smile. "All right. Well then, Michael, your men happen to be sleeping in my cave."

Michael raised an eyebrow. " _Your_  cave?"

"Temporarily," Lindsay admitted. "I live in the mountains, and for the past month or so that cave has been my home."

Michael furrowed his brow. "You live up here? Alone? Why?"

Lindsay shrugged. "I don't have much waiting for me back in Ourea, and I like the mountains. I figured I'd chance a change of scenery and move up here."

Michael frowned. It didn't take a genius to figure out she was hiding something, but he didn't want to pry.

He nodded back towards the cave. "We'll only be here for tonight. You're welcome to join us, or kick us out. I promise you my knights are as considerate as they come. If any of them approach you unwanted, don't hesitate to tell me," Michael said.

Lindsay scoffed. "I've been living in the mountains for nearly a year now by myself. I think I can handle a knight or two in my own cave."

Michael grinned. "That'd be amazing to watch."

Lindsay's cheeks were red, but Michael couldn't tell if it was a blush or if her skin was raw from the cold wind. He stretched his arm towards the cave and she moved forward, entering first and letting him follow behind her. He offered her his blanket, but she declined it, instead producing a small bag from between two stalagmites that Michael hadn't noticed when he'd first scouted the cave. She expertly unrolled a few blankets and curled up near the wall. Michael decided that it was near enough morning that he'd stay up and keep watch, and hopefully warn his knights of their guest before they overreacted.

He thought they'd like her.

* * *

Dinner with Geoff, Jack, and Ray was quiet beyond the tinkling of cutlery on their plates. It seemed as if everyone had something else on their mind. Ray barely said a word to the others before excusing himself, head down and cloak tight around his body. Geoff and Jack made simple conversation, but their voices tapered off after a few minutes, and they ended up staring at Gavin. Upon finishing his meal, he set down his knife and cleared his throat.

"I'm going to call a meeting tomorrow," he ventured, trying to keep the question out of his voice.  _You're the King_ , he reminded himself. _You don't have to ask for their permission_.

Geoff blinked at him. "For what?"

Gavin placed one hand on the table. "It's been months, and the other kingdoms haven't spoken with us at all." He rubbed at the back of his neck with his other hand. "Something has to be done."

He'd thought it over all day, and while normally he'd try and figure something out on his own, he eventually resigned to the fact that he needed help. He couldn't run the kingdom by himself, and the others could help him form a plan. Without supplies from the other kingdoms, they wouldn't last another six months.

"That's smart, Gavin," Jack said. "Would you like us to spread the word?"

Gavin nodded. "Yeah, cheers Jack. Tomorrow at noon. I don't want to wait any longer."

Geoff gathered his napkin from his lap and tossed it onto his plate, setting his knife down on top of it and standing. "Then we'd better head out. Get some rest, Gav."

Gavin stood with Jack, cinching his cloak tighter around his neck. "You too."

Geoff and Jack inclined their heads towards him and then exited the room. Gavin saw a few servants gathered at the doors to the kitchen, awaiting his departure, so they could clear the table. He let out a deep breath and left, listening as the great doors to the dining hall fell shut behind him.

His steps echoed through the wide halls as he made his way towards his chambers. The stone of the castle didn't do much to arrest the autumn chill creeping through walls, and his cloak only protected him so much. He shivered, skin prickling against the cold. The windows set high into the walls showed nothing beyond the glass, darkened as they were by the heaviness of the night. Though he couldn't see through them, he could hear them creak as the wind battered against them. It seemed a storm was coming.

His door loomed ahead of him, one hallway down from the rest of his friend's rooms. He pushed open the door and stepped inside, letting his cloak fall to the ground right as a streak of lightning slashed a striking path across the sky. He quickly changed into his nightclothes, not bothering to hang up his other clothing and letting it pool on the ground like his cloak.

As he slipped into bed, he reached up and removed his crown, setting it down on the custom stand Jack had made for his bedside table. The gold gleamed in the low candlelight, winking at him before he leaned over and blew out the candle, plunging the room into darkness. Tomorrow he could worry about the other kingdoms. Tonight, he would sleep.

* * *

The knights gradually awoke around Michael, stirring beneath their blankets and stretching like bears after a long winter of hibernation. Lindsay had woken up not long ago, and was sitting next to Michael in silence, watching the knights. Their reactions were mixed; some of the knights were shocked, some defensive at first before seeing their leader's acceptance of her presence. Some looked even embarrassed, ducking away from her stare like teenagers.

Michael quickly explained who she was, and though they still looked wary, the knights eventually grew adjusted to having Lindsay around as they packed to leave.

"Are you sure you'll be okay up here?" Michael asked as the knights began their trek down the mountain. A storm loomed above them, and the starting flakes of snow drifted around the group.

Lindsay nodded. "I was fine before you showed up. Nothing's changed."

Michael snorted, feigning offense, and said, "Glad to know we made such a lasting impression."

Lindsay laughed. "I'm sure you'll get over it. Besides, it was fun. It's not every day a girl gets to wound the pride of a regal knight."

"I'm sure," Michael said. He paused a beat and then smiled. "It's been interesting, Miss Tuggey."

"I would say so," Lindsay replied. Wrapping her scarf back around her face, she shooed him away with her hand. "Go on. Your knights are waiting."

Michael hiked his pack up on his shoulder and nodded towards her before turning and meeting his knights. They started down, habitually filing into formation as they walked. Michael twisted back once, but Lindsay had already disappeared, the swirling snow swallowing her back into the mountains.

It wasn't long before the wind picked up, and they began to lose visibility as the snow obscured their path. Michael pushed them on, confident that they could reach a suitable stopping point before they had to rest. The wind roared around them, making Michael's ears ring and his eyes sting. His lips were chapped against the cold, and he knew his knights were just as miserable behind him.

He was about to call for them to pause when a different roar rose up over the storm. Michael's heart skipped a beat in his chest and then picked up pace, pumping blood through his veins. That wasn't the roar of nature; it was the roar of a living, breathing creature. And it was close to them.

Michael spun around and saw that his knights were just as aware of the situation as he was. Most of them had already drawn their swords and were forming a loose circle, backs together as they scanned the area.

Another roar split through the air, and the ground shook beneath their feet. A sheet of ice broke off from a mountain near them and slid down the edge to shatter against the ground. More snow was displaced, creating an even bigger flurry swirling around them. The sheer whiteness of it all was disorienting, and if it wasn't for the cloud cover that blocked the sun, Michael was sure they would have been blinded.

The mountain shook again, and this time a long crack split the rock under them. The knights instinctively lowered themselves as the ground became unstable. Michael drew his sword, wincing as his hands left the cover of his cloak and were exposed to the freezing air. Only his gloves made the cold bearable.

"Knights!" he shouted over the cacophony of noise. "Be on your guard!"

The wind swept his voice away, but he heard a few answering cries of his knights, and hoped the rest had heard him.

Another warning died on his lips as a shadow suddenly appeared from behind an outcropping ahead of them. The creature lumbered towards them, its imposing height causing Michael to crane his head to try and meet its eyes. It seemed to shimmer dully against the snow, not quite the color of the mountains, but close enough that it blended into the area. The only thing that separated it from the rock, and what made Michael jolt in recognition, was the winding moss covering the creature's body.

"An iron golem?" he breathed in shock.

There was no way the knights could have heard him, but they seemed to recognize the creature too. Shouts of disbelief echoed behind him as the group backed away as a whole, trying to avoid being seen.

 _There's no way,_  he thought, ducking behind a rock as the golem took a heavy step forward. Golems never venture away from villages. The only way one could be this far away from one is if it had been made in the mountains themselves.

Though he knew the golem wouldn't have been able to hear him, he still tried to calm his breathing. Years of training held him steady, keeping him from losing his nerve against the creature.  _They're normally harmless_ , he told himself, gripping his sword tighter.  _We haven't threatened a village. There's no reason for it to attack us._

The iron golem paused, a grating sound clawing at Michael's ears as its thick head spun slowly in their direction. The group wasn't hidden very well, but Michael was hoping that the simple-minded creature would look over them and move on.

The golem's beady red eyes locked onto Michael and the creature paused. Michael held his breath and then winced as it roared. The knights scattered, diving out of the way of the golem's arm as it swung down on the area Michael had been standing in.

Michael darted away, narrowly escaping the golem's heavy limb. The knights immediately began hacking at the creature, ignoring its ear-shattering roars of pain.

The golem swung its arm again, nearly knocking one of the knights off a nearby cliff.

"Take it deeper into the mountains!" Michael yelled. The cliff was dangerous, and not a great spot to defend. They would have a better chance if they could back the golem up against a wall.

The knights pushed forward, driving the golem back the way they had come. Michael followed, dodging the golem's slow limbs and delivering blows every chance he got. The creature was slow, but it could take a lot of hits. Michael just hoped they could bring it down before his knights grew too weary.

Michael darted between two knights and sliced at the golem's calves. He jumped out of the way of one of the creature's arms, but the other managed to catch him in the side. He hissed in pain as he slid backwards, grabbing at his ribs, before charging forward again and catching the golem on its torso. The golem screamed, swiping at him. He ducked between its legs, spinning around and driving his sword down into the golem's ankle. He was pulling his sword out when he saw a dark blur streak by him and drive a short blade into the creature's neck.

The golem howled and kicked backward, catching Michael in the chest and sending him tumbling to the ground. He slid on the snow-less ice, uncovered by the battle, and twisted, scrambling for purchase, when he felt the ground disappear beneath him. He gripped his sword tightly and drove it into the ground, desperately halting his slide as his lower body met empty air, fell, and bounced against the side of the cliff.

He wrapped his hands around the sword, ignoring the way the diamond bit through his gloves and into his hands. Blood welled on his palms and dripped down the blade, rapidly cooling against the surface as he struggled to haul himself back over the edge of the cliff. His arms and ribs protested, aching from the golem's blows, and he could feel his muscles giving out on him. He paused to catch his breath and tried again, swinging his legs and trying to catch his foot on the cliff's edge. He missed, body falling back to slam against the side of the cliff. He bit down on his lip as his ribs shot agonizing bolts of pain through his chest. The golem was still roaring, its heavy steps shaking the cliff that threatened to drop him to his death.

He readjusted his grip, readying himself to try again when the golem gave a final shriek and collapsed to the ground. The resulting crash jolted him enough that he lost his hold on the sword. His fingers scrabbled for anything to grab onto, finally catching on the edge of the cliff. However, his abused hands hardly held any strength, and he knew they wouldn't hold him much longer.

His fingers slipped on the ice, and he felt his body in free fall for a split second before a hand wrapped around his forearm, yanking him to a halt.

"Grab his other arm!" someone shouted, and he heard the knights scramble to reach over for their leader.

Michael clasped the hand of a knight and another grabbed him higher on the arm. Together they pulled Michael over the edge of the cliff and dropped him there, panting.

Michael rolled onto his back, clutching his hands to his aching chest and trying to catch his breath.

When he opened his eyes, someone was holding his sword out to him. He grasped the handle and sat up, going to thank the knight, when he noticed it wasn't a knight at all.

"Careful, your hands are pretty torn up," Lindsay said, a hand on her hip. "Can I take a look at them?"

Michael stared at her. She had a cut on her chin that was bleeding freely, and her hair was loose and swirled around her shoulders like a blazing fire in the middle of winter. He looked behind her at the fallen golem, and noticed her short sword sticking out of the creature's chest.

He blinked, and then turned back towards her. "Only if you agree to come back to Achievement City with us."

She raised an eyebrow. "And why would I do that?"

Michael fixed her with a steady look. "Because I think you have what it takes to become a great knight."

Lindsay narrowed her eyes at him, studying his face much like she did the first night she met him. He met her gaze, staring into her calculating eyes.

Finally, the corners of her lips quirked up. Michael couldn't stop the answering grin that broke out on his face.

* * *

A low, unsettling sound split the air as the creature moved through the night. The scenery of Achievement City blinked by, glimpses of buildings and stray humans flashing in the corner of the creature's vision. Normally it would stop and give chase to the humans, especially the ones that were alone, but the creature had its orders. Though its instinct screamed at it to hunt and kill, the magic tying it to its master kept it on its course.

The castle loomed up in front of the creature. It paused, head tilting back to scan the entirety of the building. Little purple sparks danced around the creature, humming slightly in the quiet of the night. After a moment, the creature flitted to a new spot outside the castle walls, seemingly disappearing and reappearing moments later. It repeated this action several times, skipping through space around the castle and pausing for a few seconds every few meters.

Finally the creature seemed to find what it was looking for, and teleported from its position to inside the castle, standing tall inside the room. A lone man slept in the bed on the far wall, the top of his tousled hair being the only part of him visible under the covers.

The creature clicked rapidly, eyes scanning the room for its target. It let out a satisfied noise when it spotted the gold crown resting on the table. The creature jumped to the spot, picking up the crown and making to teleport out of the room when a crack of thunder rattled the windows. The creature hissed, quickly leaving the room and beginning its journey home.

The creature jumped larger distances, travelling faster this time as it tried to beat the storm. It wasn't quick enough, however, and eventually the rain started to fall. The creature shrieked in pain as the droplets seared its skin and desperately moved faster, racing the edge of the storm.

Its body began to weaken the more rain hit it. The creature ended up colliding with a tree and nearly dropped the crown.

It shook itself and carried on. Every part of it wanted nothing more than to seek out shelter from the rain, but its orders kept it from doing so.

Just as the creature began to slow, its body unable to take more of the rain, it teleported into its master's home. The creature groaned in relief, the sharpness of the noise echoing through the long room.

Its master looked up from his desk, setting down the papers he had been holding.

"Did you retrieve it?" the man asked eagerly.

The creature clicked at the man, emitting low, angry noises until the man held up his hands.

"Ah, I understand. Your kind isn't so fond of the rain, is it?"

The creature let out a low, long sound, and the man winced.

"Very well. I will try to plan our further endeavors around the seasonal storms." The man rolled his eyes. The creature growled in response. "Oh, don't be difficult. Answer the question."

The creature flitted to the man's desk and dropped the crown on top of his papers. The man's eyes widened in excitement.

"So, you did," he murmured. "Very good, pet."

The creature's master stood, lifting the crown and letting his eyes roam over the shimmering surface.

"Now," the man said. "We can finally begin."

* * *

Gavin blinked his eyes open, wincing slightly at the light shining through his window. He was warm and comfortable under his blankets, but he could feel the cool air around him- the fire had died sometime in the night- and he was reluctant to get out of bed.

Groaning, he rolled over and buried his face in the covers. He didn't  _really_  have to be out of bed for another few minutes. And the warmth was nice...

He sleepily looked over his room, half lidded eyes lazily moving over familiar objects: the candelabra by his bed with its wax hard and cold and nearly melted down to the bottom, the rack that held his cloak and weapons belt, the stand with his glistening crown-

His sleep-hazed mind scanned over the stand without a second thought, and then he was sitting up with a jolt. His crown. It wasn't there.

Gavin swung his legs over the edge of the bed and stood, hands skimming over the surface of the side table. He lifted the stand and pushed aside books, eyes sharp and awake and looking for that hint of gold.

Letting out a frustrated noise he dropped to his knees and peered under the table and the bed. There was nothing under the bed except a few balls of dust and a single boot tipped on its side. He rolled back on his heels and tapped his fingers on the ground, scanning the room once more. He remembered taking the crown off the night before; it should have been on the stand.

Gavin stood and quickly dressed himself, grabbing his cloak as an afterthought. He slid out of his room and turned to the guards across the hall.

"Did, uh, did anyone come in my room last night?" he asked tentatively.

The guards shook their heads. "No one, sire," one answered. "No one's been in the halls either."

Gavin scratched at the back of his neck and then nodded towards the guards, heading off down the hall. It wasn't odd for Gavin to lose something, it happened more than he'd like to admit, but his crown was entirely different. The crown had been an extension of himself for the past three months. He wouldn't have misplaced it.

Gavin crossed an entryway and passed through the doors to the dining hall. Geoff and Jack occupied two of the chairs at the table. Michael's was still empty and so was Ray's. The two men looked up when the doors thudded shut behind Gavin.

"Good morning-" Jack started cheerily.

"My bloody crown's gone missing!" Gavin interrupted.

Geoff chuckled. "Missing? I'm sure it's just under your spare cloak."

"I checked!" Gavin protested. "I looked everywhere. I know I put it away last night, and when I woke up it was gone!"

"Are you sure?" Jack asked.

Gavin turned towards him. "Of course I'm sure! Someone stole it. I'm positive."

Jack's eyebrows rose. "Now it's been stolen? What happened to it going missing?"

"It didn't just walk out of my room, Jack," Gavin huffed. "Someone had to have taken it."

"That's a pretty serious accusation, Gav," Geoff said, brow creasing. "Taking a king's crown is more than disrespectful. It's criminal."

"I'm being serious," Gavin said. "This doesn't feel right."

Geoff sighed, rubbing his eyes tiredly. He slid back his chair and stood as he spoke, "All right, we'll check it out. Jack, gather a few knights and meet us in Gavin's room."

The three of them left the room, Jack splitting off, and Geoff and Gavin heading towards Gavin's chambers. They were silent as they walked. Gavin wasn't sure what to say. He hadn't been joking when he'd told them that he'd felt anxious about the whole situation. Something was definitely wrong, but he wasn't sure what it was.

They reached Gavin's room, and not long after they began searching it, Jack returned with a small group of knights. Normally, Gavin would have had a small laugh at the sight of a half dozen knights on their hands and knees in his room, but unease still swirled in his stomach.

The knights seemed just as puzzled as he had upon not finding anything in the room. A deep frown had found its way onto Geoff's face, but he tried to brush it off.

"You could have left it somewhere else," he offered.

Gavin shook his head. "No, I'm telling you, I-"

"Hey, guys," Jack called softly. He had been running his fingers over the surface of Gavin's crown stand, and was now staring at his skin.

"What is it?" Gavin asked.

Jack stepped closer and held his hand into a slanting beam of sunlight. "Do you see that?"

Gavin and Geoff shook their heads. "No, I don't..."

Gavin trailed off, leaning forward to look closer at Jack's fingers. The tanned, calloused skin was shimmering with an unnatural, bright purple dust.

"What is it?" Geoff asked, spotting it at as well.

"It's Ender dust," Jack answered. "Nether portals leave a small trace of it, and so do-"

"Endermen," Geoff breathed. "You don't think...?"

Jack shrugged, wiping his hand off on his pants. "Endermen don't usually enter buildings unless provoked, and I haven't seen one around here in years."

"I think Gavin may have been right, then," Geoff said. "Someone had to have sent that Enderman."

The two of them turned towards their king, but for once Gavin was silent. This was one situation where he wished he hadn't been right.

* * *

The following two weeks passed quickly, with Gavin growing more and more uneasy as time went on. The meeting he held only proved his suspicions that the kingdom was running out of supplies. None of his advisers could think of a solution beyond personally visiting every kingdom, but that required man power that they couldn't risk with the kingdom as weak as it was. All they could do was wait for Michael to return and pray that the knight had good news.

A scouting party that had been sent to the southern islands of Achievement City returned from the plains with a herd of wild horses that they had found. The knights were being trained to fight on horseback while the farmers had taken to trying to tame the horses. The animals were not used to people yet, and the recently hired stable hands were doing their best to make the horses comfortable. It was a work in process, but Gavin was confident that the horses would be a valuable asset to the kingdom.

He made time to train with the others, working closely with Ray, as the younger man seemed more withdrawn than before. He kept disappearing at odd intervals in the day, and returned solemn and exhausted. Gavin was reluctant to mention it, but he was beginning to worry. It had proven to be disastrous in the past when his friends began to withdraw from the others, and now it was happening again.

He was in the middle of training when this thought struck him, and it caused him to pull back viciously on his bowstring. The arrow nearly snapped in his fingers before he let it fly. It sank into an apple hanging from a nearby tree and jolted the apple enough that it fell to the ground. Ray laughed next to him and jogged over, picking up the apple and removing the arrow before taking a large bite.

"Feeling particularly angry towards fruit today, my king?" Ray asked, mouth full of apple.

"It's not the bloody apples, Ray. Idiot," Gavin growled in exasperation.

Ray swallowed and whistled. "You're definitely pissed off at something."

Gavin sighed. He rubbed at the skin between his eyes and dropped his bow. "Myself, mostly."

Ray's face immediately sobered, and he walked over, hanging his bow on his shoulder. "If it's about the kingdom, try not to worry too much. Michael will be back soon. Once he's back, we can discuss it more. For now, all we can do is make the best of what we have."

Gavin ran both his hands through his hair and then let them drop to his sides. "Is this what it was like when you were king?"

Ray smiled and shifted, fighting back a wince and rubbing at his ribs. "Pretty much. It doesn't allow as much freedom as you'd think."

Gavin nodded and bent to pick up his bow. Ray followed suit, packing up his gear. They left the archery field and started back towards the main training grounds.

"I have no idea what I'm doing," Gavin confessed suddenly. "I don't know what I'll do if we run out of supplies, or if there's a riot. The people are counting on me to have all the answers, but I don't know if I do." The words came out in a rush, and he immediately felt self-conscious for saying them. He sighed. "What kind of a king can't even keep track of his own crown?"

Ray looked at him sideways. "Listen. None of us had any idea what the fuck we were doing when we started. You've gotta stop acting like you're alone."

"Sometimes I forget," Gavin sighed.

Ray just smiled. "It's okay. That's why we're here."

Gavin nodded and bumped his shoulder. "Thanks, Ray. I appreciate it."

Ray shrugged. "It's what I'm supposed to do as an adviser, right? Provide moral support and all that bullshit?"

"Sounds about right, yeah."

They entered the training ground and found Geoff in the middle of a spar with another knight. Geoff had knocked the knight's sword from his grasp, and the knight was currently circling Geoff, looking for an opening to dive for the weapon. Geoff had a teasing smile on his lips and looked completely at ease.

Gavin approached the circle around the pair and whistled, tossing the knight his sword. The knight shot him a grateful look while Geoff turned to him indignantly. "Hey! This isn't a partner fight."

Gavin grinned. "I'm king. I don't have to follow your rules."

The knight took advantage of the distraction and lunged at Geoff. Geoff spun out of the way and stuck out his leg, tripping the knight as he over-extended and sent the knight sprawling to the dirt. The crowd around the pair hooted as the knight propped himself up on his arm and scowled.

Geoff let out a bark of laughter. "Looks like your help didn't matter, my liege."

Gavin rolled his eyes as Geoff bent down to help the knight to his feet. The knight had the decency to look sheepish, and bowed courteously to Gavin and then Geoff.

"He probably would have fared better with my sword."

Gavin spun around to see Michael approaching with his band of knights in tow. They looked exhausted and injured, and Michael was walking with a slight limp, but they all seemed to be intact.

A grin split across Gavin's face as the knights around him erupted into cheers and shouts of greeting and happiness. A few knights embraced their friends when they drew close enough. Michael caught Gavin into a hug, then let go to do the same with Ray and Geoff, shaking the hands of knights as they approached.

"Hey boi." Michael grinned. "Long time, no see, huh?"

"You ass, where the hell have you been?" Geoff asked, eyes flickering between anger and relief. "You were supposed to be back weeks ago!"

"I got held up in Ourea. There's so much I've got to tell you guys." Michael paused, and then a hesitant smile broke out on his face. "But first, there's someone I want to introduce you to."

Michael turned and gestured behind him, and a young woman Gavin didn't recognize stepped forward. She wore a thick black cloak lined in furs, and her bright red hair was pulled back from her face with a thin ribbon.

"This is Lindsay Tuggey of Ourea. We met her in the mountains, and she assisted us in a fight against an iron golem." Michael turned to face Gavin directly. "I'd like to train her to become a knight. Possibly even one of the Guard."

Gavin blinked in surprise. "Wait, what?"

Lindsay snickered and then quickly covered her mouth with one gloved hand. Clearing her throat, she stepped forward and bowed her head politely. "I apologize for the sudden notice, your majesty," she said. "Your head knight was very insistent that I join him. I'm not opposed to it. If it's all right with you, of course."

Gavin stood still for another moment, processing the words before shaking himself and nodding, a grin breaking out on his face. "Of course she can join us. You think she'll be fit to be a knight?"

"I really think so," Michael assured him.

Lindsay smiled quietly and took a step back. "Thank you, your highness."

"Oh, call me Gavin. Everyone else does," Gavin told her.

"Of course," Lindsay replied.

"One of the knights can show you to your new quarters," Michael said to her. "We'll find some new clothes for you as well."

"Thank you," Lindsay said as she left with the other knight. The rest of the knights scattered as well, eager to get some rest in their own beds.

As soon as the knights were gone, the three turned on Michael.

"So you just found her in the mountains?" Ray asked. "Isn't that a little strange?"

Michael shrugged. "It definitely is. But I don't think she'll be any trouble. She saved my life, anyway."

"Speaking of," Geoff interjected, "you look like hell. Let's go see Jack and get you fixed up. Then we can talk about what you learned."

Michael agreed and they left the training grounds. The sun set behind them as they walked, the weak glow of the stars gradually getting brighter as the light from the sun faded into the horizon. The nearly dead grass crunched under their boots as they made quiet conversation. They didn't venture into the topic of Michael's assignment, instead telling Michael of what had been going on in the month that he had been gone. They told him of the horses and the progress on the statue. They told him of less positive things, such as the food and supply shortages. Michael didn't seem surprised at that and promised that he might have the answer to their problems.

Upon breaking the tree line, the group headed towards the back of the castle and entered the gardens. After the battle with Ryan, Jack had decided to train as a physician, since the kingdom had begun to show signs of needing a full-time one. He spent the few months after the battle healing Kerry, and then sent the boy back to his own village to continue to recover. His success with Kerry, and Ray as well, proved to the kingdom that he was well qualified to handle medicine. Jack still worked as a carpenter, and was training others to become physicians so he didn't have to give up the position, but he was currently the best with medicine in the kingdom.

The cottage that Jack used for his practice stood on the edge of the castle gardens. It was a small, two room, stone building wrapped in ivy and vines. The two rooms were separated into an area for the gravely injured, and an area for those recovering. They found Jack in the latter, changing a bandage on a man with a small cut on his leg.

Jack looked up when they entered and a large grin broke out on his face. He immediately stood and embraced Michael, and now that Gavin was looking closely, he could see the way Michael winced as Jack's arms wrapped around him.

"Michael! Welcome back," Jack said warmly.

Michael smiled wearily. "It's good to be back. You guys don't know how much I missed this place."

"I can imagine," Geoff said.

"Well, come sit down. Let me take a look at you." Jack took Michael's arm and led him to a bed.

Michael sat on the edge and undid his weapons belt, draping it over a spare chair. He then shrugged off his cloak and the thin armor chest plate- the ones used for long distance travelling- that he wore. Soon he was left only in his trousers and undershirt.

"Is there anything you know of that you want me to check on first?" Jack asked.

"My hands," Michael answered, gingerly beginning to take off his gloves. Gavin noted that they weren't the ones he normally wore, but rather a spare pair.

Gavin winced in sympathy as Michael's hands were revealed. The skin on his palms was raw and crusted with dried blood. Haphazard bandages seemed to have been wrapped around them at some point, but they had bunched together since then and were stained a deep red.

Jack made a small noise in the back of his throat and began cleaning the wounds and redressing them.

Michael's jaw clenched as he watched Jack wipe away the blood. After a beat of silence, he said, "I'm sure you're all dying to hear my story."

"Nah," Ray answered quietly, leaning against the wall.

Michael rolled his head towards Ray and shot him a look. Ray grinned and crossed his arms over his chest. Michael snorted and turned back towards Gavin and Geoff.

"When I arrived in Ourea, well, King Zachariah was pretty shocked to put it lightly," Michael started. "He was 'pleasantly surprised'. I guess arriving in another kingdom unannounced isn't proper manners or some bullshit. But he didn't really mind. Pros of being good trade partners."

"But that doesn't exactly warrant shock," Geoff said slowly.

Michael nodded. "I'm getting to that. He wasn't just shocked at my arrival, more so at what I told him. Apparently he had no idea that we were in such bad shape. The other kingdoms, according to what he told me, are under the impression that we're fine. They've all been receiving letters saying that we're getting our supplies from the other kingdoms. Zachariah claimed that he had thought the letters hadn't sounded right, and was about to investigate when I showed up."

"Wait," Gavin said. "The other kingdoms have been getting letters  _from us_?"

"Yeah, that's what I said," Michael said dryly.

"But why would someone pretend to be us? What good would that do the other kingdom?" Gavin asked.

"Someone is trying to cripple Achievement City," Ray murmured.

"How so?" Jack asked, finishing wrapping Michael's hands and gently setting them back in the knight's lap.

"Think about it," Ray said, pushing off the wall. "We're already weak enough coming out of an uprising. Gavin's trying to get his bearings, but if someone pulls the rug out from under him, then how are we supposed to function?"

"Ray's right," Geoff agreed. "With a new king, a rattled kingdom, and on top of that, no supplies, then we're not the strongest kingdom anymore."

"But what are we supposed to do?" Michael asked. "We can't go around to all the kingdoms and tell them what's going on. It would take way too long, and by the time everything is straightened out, Achievement City will have already starved. And any letters we send out are just going to be intercepted by whoever is doing this to us."

"We have to find out who's doing this, and stop them soon," Gavin stated. "It's the only way we can make sure that we won't be stopped while trying to heal the kingdom."

The room went silent, the others mulling over what had been said, when Jack cleared his throat.

"Hate to interrupt, but is there anything else?" he asked.

Michael nodded. "Yeah, my ribs are aching."

Jack instructed Michael to removed his shirt, and the knight did so gingerly, revealing the expanse of his stomach and chest.

"Damn, Michael." Geoff grimaced at the deep purple bruises wrapping around Michael's ribs. Lighter blue and green ones dotted other parts of his chest and down his arms, but the ones on his ribs were dark and tinged with red around the edges. Light cuts also split his skin, cutting over old scars and some still leaking blood.

"What the hell did you do?" Jack asked, leaning back in surprise.

"Had a run-in with a majorly pissed off iron golem. Almost fell off a cliff. You know," Michael answered, waving his hand dismissively. Gavin nearly snorted.

"You mentioned that when you introduced Lindsay," Geoff pointed out. "Where'd you find an iron golem? You didn't pass through any villages did you?"

"Who's Lindsay?" Jack asked.

Michael shook his head. "I'll introduce you later. But, no, the fucker was up in the mountains."

Geoff frowned. "But they never-"

"I know," Michael interrupted with a nod. "I didn't think so, either. But it had to have gotten up there somehow."

"You think someone called it on you?" Ray asked, eyes bright with a casual curiosity.

Michael shrugged, and then winced as the action pulled against the bandages Jack was wrapping around his tender ribs.

"Maybe the same bloke who sent it was the one who stole my crown," Gavin ventured bitterly.

Michael's eyebrows creased. "Someone stole your crown?"

Geoff sighed. "Allegedly."

"You said you thought I was right!" Gavin pointed out indignantly. "It was an Enderman!"

"An Enderman?" Michael questioned. "What the hell else did I miss?"

Geoff closed his eyes. "Maybe we have more to talk about than I thought."

* * *

Ryan hunched over, a grunt slipping past his lips as one of the guards kicked his already sore ribs.

"The Mad King," the guard scoffed. "Not so kingly now, are you?"

Ryan spit onto the cobblestones. His mouth was full of blood, and he knew it was staining his teeth and lips. He had bit down on his tongue the first time the guard had struck him, and his cheek still stung from the blow. Though his body ached, and he could feel blood trickling over his eyes, he wouldn't look up.

"Nothing? Not even a glance?" The guard shook his head. "You always had something to say when you were king. You've lost your confidence, Haywood."

The other guard snickered and prodded Ryan's side with the toe of his boot. Ryan flinched away and immediately regretted it, for the first guard laughed openly and reached down. He grabbed Ryan under the shoulders and hauled him up, pinning him against the wall. Blood pooled on Ryan's tongue, but he fought the urge to swallow it, knowing it would just make him sick. His body was feverish enough as it was.

"You hardly weigh anything, poor thing," the guard mocked, voice high in a slight falsetto. He pursed his lips. "Who's feeding you?"

Ryan decided to smile, letting the blood leak down his chin, and was rewarded by the guard's look of shock and then disgust. "Funny," he stated demurely.

The guard was about to snap something back when the other guard grabbed his arm. "Hey, lay off a bit. We don't want him too beat up if Ray comes back. He'll bring Gavin into this."

"Into what?"

The guards spun around, the one dropping Ryan, to face their king. Gavin stood there with his chin high, a rare spark of anger in his eyes. He looked regal in his rich, green cloak, and completely out of place in the dungeon.

"Sire, we were just-" the first guard started. Gavin clenched his jaw, and the guard froze, mouth snapping shut.

"Leave," Gavin stated coolly.

"Your highness-"

Gavin held up a hand. "Don't. We'll discuss this later. Leave us."

The second guard grabbed his friend's sleeve and pulled him out of the cell. They locked the door and then hurried down the hall, their footsteps accompanied by one of the other prisoner's laughter.

"I've never seen you so sharp, Gavin," Ryan mused from the floor, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "You seem to be coming into your role nicely."

Gavin's shoulders had relaxed at the guards' exit, but they tensed again at Ryan's words. "They have no right to treat you like that. I do what I have to."

Gavin dug in his pocket for a handkerchief and tossed it to Ryan. Ryan picked it up with a nod and wiped his mouth.

He spit onto the floor and then dabbed at the cut over his eyebrow. "So, how does it feel being king?"

"Lovely," Gavin answered, leaning up against the bars of Ryan's cell. His eyes flickered over the cuts on Ryan's face and the bruising on his cheekbone. His expression was fierce, something Ryan didn't remember seeing before Gavin became king.

The room went silent as Gavin dragged a chair over to the front of Ryan's cell and dropped into it, letting out a long breath.

"Tired, your majesty?" Ryan hummed.

Gavin rubbed his eyes. "Long week."

"Well, let's have it then," Ryan said, spreading his arms.

Gavin looked at him in confusion, and Ryan chuckled.

"I don't get much news down here," Ryan explained. "And I'm a great listener."

Gavin leaned forward, tapping his finger on his chin. He scrubbed at the scruff on his jaw and finally sighed. "Michael returned last week."

Ryan raised an eyebrow. "Shouldn't that be a good thing?"

Gavin shrugged. "Sure, I suppose. If it wasn't for the news he brought, I'd be thrilled."

"Let me guess, you're not happy with it," Ryan drawled.

Gavin paused and Ryan could tell by the look on his face that he was weighing how much he should tell Ryan.

Eventually Gavin answered. "The other kingdoms are... withholding supplies from us. But it's from the direction of another."

"You don't know who?" Ryan asked. He'd heard the guards talking about the shortages, but he wasn't sure how bad it was.

Gavin shook his head. "Zachariah only told Michael that he'd been getting letters from the other kingdoms saying that we were being supplied for by others. He doesn't know who started it."

"What are you planning on doing about it?"

Gavin opened his mouth to respond and then paused, eyes narrowing. He stood from the chair and turned, staring into the empty cell opposite Ryan. In the quiet, Ryan could hear the prisoner that had come in the night before weeping quietly in his cell.

"I'm not sure," Gavin admitted after a moment. "There's not enough time to visit all the kingdoms."

Ryan stood, wincing a little at the creaking in his ribs. He crossed the cell as much as the chains allowed and stood there until Gavin turned around.

"You know what you have to do," Ryan said quietly.

Gavin ran a hand through his hair. "But, Ryan," he protested. The tone of his voice reminded Ryan of the boy he had first met when he came to Achievement City.

"You said it yourself, you don't have time to go to all the kingdoms individually before you run out of supplies," Ryan murmured. "So don't. Send single messengers to all the kingdoms and manage Achievement City while you wait."

"People will die."

"People always die," Ryan responded, his voice steady. "Accept that there will be loses. Save who you can until you can save the rest. Do what you have to do to survive."

"But they're my people, Ryan. I can't choose who to give rations to and who to let die." Gavin anxiously paced in front of the cell.

"I know you have it in you, Gavin. I believe that you can save the kingdom. You just have to become someone else for a while," Ryan said, his voice taking on a soothing tone.

Gavin ran his hand through his hair. He stared at the floor, lips tight, and then sighed. "Okay. Yeah, you're right. I'll think about it."

Ryan flashed a closed-lipped smile and nodded.

"Cheers, Ryan." Gavin said as he left, though his voice lacked its usual enthusiasm.

Ryan listened until the door closed behind the King before he sat down.

"You're a cold-hearted bastard, you know that?" One of the other prisoners said. Ryan could just barely see him in the dark.

He didn't respond, just sank back against the wall, fingering Gavin's handkerchief and letting his lips finally part in a slow smile.

* * *

Gavin took Ryan's advice; he had no choice. He didn't tell the others, though, that it was Ryan's plan. They would've never have gone along with it if they knew. Well, maybe he could have convinced Ray, but Geoff would have never said yes. He tried to think of another way, but they were out of time. Two days after Gavin spoke with Ryan, nine riders, saddled on the fastest of the new horses, left for the kingdoms surrounding Achievement City. Some would take longer to return, as the riders bound for the kingdoms overseas would have to travel by boat, but it was a lot faster than sending a whole party.

To keep the stress of starvation at bay, Gavin distracted himself with the search for his crown. The entire kingdom was searching for it, but it hadn't been found in the week they'd been looking, which led Gavin to believe that his first theory was correct, and it was another kingdom that had stolen it from him.

They couldn't very well accuse another kingdom of stealing it until they were stronger, however. Once again, Gavin was hampered by lack of supplies.

Geoff seemed to sense Gavin's mounting frustration and invited him to help with a new build he had been planning. Gavin gratefully accepted the distraction, and promised to meet Geoff there. On his way to the Labs, Gavin passed Ray standing in the library.

"Hey Ray," Gavin greeted, one hand on the door frame. The pack on his shoulder bumped against his thigh as he came to a stop.

Ray hummed and turned, a book held in his hand.

"What are you up to?" Gavin asked, leaning a little farther into the room.

Ray shrugged. "Reading."

Gavin raised an eyebrow. His eyes flickered between the book and Ray's face. He couldn't read the title from where he was, but his lack of interest kept him from stepping closer. "You want to join Geoff and I? You could use some sun."

Ray shook his head. "Nah. I'll sit this one out. My scar is bothering me."

Gavin's eyes creased in concern. "Do you want to visit Jack? I'm sure he could give you something for the-"

"I might visit him later. Thanks, though," Ray said. He nodded to Gavin and then turned back towards the bookshelf.

Gavin let go of the doorway and backed off down the hall, watching Ray curiously until he was out of sight.

Gavin breathed in the crisp chill of winter as he left the castle, letting the dim sunlight warm his face. It was a bit of a walk to the grounds that Geoff called the "Labs", where they tested new kinds of buildings and mechanics, and Gavin was content to enjoy stretching his legs. He passed by a village and smiled to the people milling around in the streets.

They smiled back, but Gavin could see how haggard they all were. His grin slipped as he walked, and then fell completely when he passed a man with torn clothes sitting in the street and begging for food. Gavin gave him the lunch he had packed for himself, trying his best to keep his spirits high for the sake of the people.

When he reached the Labs, Geoff was already in full swing, constructing some sort of new tower.

"Gavin," Geoff said with a smile as the King approached, holding out his hand in greeting.

Gavin clasped his forearm. "Hullo, Geoffrey. How's your morning been?"

"Fine," Geoff answered. He held out a small piece of decorative iron. "I'm trying to figure out how to attach this iron piece to the walls, but I can't seem to get it right."

The two spent the rest of the afternoon building and thinking up new ideas. Gavin found himself laughing and enjoying himself for the first time in a long time. It wasn't until Geoff brought up Michael and Lindsay that he seemed to sober up.

"Where has Michael been the past few days?" Geoff asked.

"Training with Lindsay. She's really coming along as a knight. She's a natural born fighter," Gavin said enthusiastically, but Geoff knew Gavin well enough to read the worry in his eyes.

"But...?" Geoff prodded.

Gavin rolled a pickaxe in his hands. "I'm still not sure if I trust her. I know I should, because Michael does and he doesn't trust just anyone, but I still don't like her story. Why was she up in the mountains by herself?" Gavin shook his head. "It just doesn't feel right."

Geoff approached him and put a hand on his shoulder. "If it bothers you, talk to Michael about it. I'm sure he'd listen."

"I know he would. But I can see how much he likes Lindsay. I'd hate to do that to him," Gavin said, worrying his lip between his teeth.

"I know. But would you rather him be in danger?"

Gavin shook his head. "No, I wouldn't."

"That's what I thought," Geoff said. "Now, come help me clear out this area."

Gavin spent a lot of his time over the next couple months with Geoff in the Labs, or Michael on the training grounds. Occasionally Ray and Jack would join them, and things started to feel like normal. But Gavin couldn't ignore the impending sense of dread looming over the kingdom. The days seemed to be getting darker, and the people were noticing it too. They were all too aware of the situation, and fear was spreading. People were already without food. Crime had gone up, and with it Gavin felt the pressure on him to do something about it.

Against his better judgement, Gavin went to see Ryan again.

"I can't tell you what you already know," Ryan responded when Gavin told him of the situation. "You want another answer but I don't have one."

"I could split the rations up more. I know we have enough food in the castle-"

"You know that won't work for long, if it does at all." Ryan ran his fingers over the cuffs on his wrists. "You're the King. Take charge. Set an example."

Gavin sighed. "I know."

"Good," Ryan said.

Gavin tried his best to keep things under control. But he had reached his tipping point, his frustration and anger and fear mounting up until he couldn't take it anymore. Finally, the smallest thing pushed him over the edge.

The doors at the head of the Grand Hall burst open, letting in the pale light of the afternoon. It was snowing, and stray flakes were blown in with the two knights striding towards Gavin. Between them they dragged a struggling man, snow rapidly melting in his hair and a bright red mark spreading down his cheek. A large portion of the village surrounding the castle seemed to follow the trio, some shouting in anger and others trying to get to the struggling man, but being held back by guards.

When the two knights reached their king, they dropped the young man at Gavin's feet, kicking at the back of his legs to bring him to his knees. The boy gasped, bracing himself with one hand on the ground and cradling his other to his chest.

He bowed his head shakily to Gavin and then looked up, eyes pleading. "Sire, please, I-"

"My liege," one of the knights interjected, speaking over the man, "we found this rat with his hand through the window of a shop. He was bleeding all over the food-"

"Oh, was he now." Gavin glanced at the man's hand and noticed it was wrapped hastily in a dirty rag; he must have cut it on the window.

"-already had three loaves of bread in his bag-"

Gavin tried to hear the knights, but the crowd was deafening.

"Let him be!" one woman shouted, and was followed by a chorus of "He's just a boy!" and "He was stealing our food!"

But the loudest was a cry from the back, quickly echoed by many voices. "Hang him!"

"SHUT IT!" Gavin shouted, and the crowd instantly went silent.

Gavin locked eyes with the young man. The boy swallowed, and then shakily started to speak. "Y-your majesty. It's my sister. She's starving. The food- it wasn't for me, I swear. She's only a girl, and my family can't feed her. P-please-"

"The laws, sire," one of the knights interrupted. "No matter who he stole it for, he stole it. We were clear. Until we have enough supplies, any attempt to steal food is an automatic five years-"

"I know the laws," Gavin snapped. "I know."

Gavin took a shaky breath to settle himself. The boy was trembling, eyes shiny with tears but unwilling to let them fall. The crowd behind him was still deathly quiet.

Ryan's voice whispered through his head.  _Set an example_.

"Our kingdom is weak. We need order to stay alive. Without order, we have nothing," Gavin stated, his voice firm. "We cannot break the law. There is no exception." His eyes passed over the crowd, and he felt something settle in his chest, a sort of grim determination. He met the stare of the boy. "Execute him."

A wave of shocked gasps rose up from the crowd, and then everyone was shouting again. The guards tried in vain to control the people as they surged against each other, shouting obscenities or words of agreement. The boy collapsed in on himself, a look of horror in his eyes. Gavin stood firm.

"That's ENOUGH." A new voice rose out of the crowd, familiar to Gavin. His gaze snapped to the crowd where they were parting for Geoff. Michael, Jack, and Ray followed behind, nearly tripping to keep up with Geoff's furious strides.

"Geoff-" Gavin gasped as Geoff grabbed his arm and started dragging him backwards.

"Michael, Ray, go help control the crowd and get them out of here. Jack, calm the boy down," Geoff ordered before pulling Gavin into an antechamber beyond the hall and slamming the door behind him.

"What are you-" Gavin started, but was cut off as Geoff shoved him backwards and into the wall.

"Look at yourself," Geoff snapped. "What the hell has gotten into you? You're about to kill a  _boy_  because he stole food. Because he's scared and his sister is starving? We're all scared. We're all starving." He shoved Gavin again. "You need to  _get a grip_."

"I can't look weak, Geoff. The kingdom needs to know-"

Geoff let out a bark of laughter, eyes still churning with anger. "Is that what this is about? Gavin, no one thinks you're weak. But they're going to be fucking scared of you if you go through with this."

Gavin shook his head, back pressed against the wall. "No- no, I have to do this."

"Don't you see what will happen? If you kill this boy, what's to stop you from killing others? Do you want to end up like  _Ryan_?" Geoff threw the name at him like a curse.

Gavin froze. "What are you on about?"

Geoff sighed. He crossed his arms over his chest. "Fear never works. You can't expect your kingdom to trust you if they're worried you'll throw them under the sword at a moment's notice."

Gavin ran a trembling hand through his hair. The dark confidence that had seemed to possess him before had left him, and his entire body felt drained. "What do I do?"

Sympathy flickered in Geoff's eyes. "Go out there and tell the boy you're not going to kill him. Jail him if you need to, but show the people that you're not ruthless and violent. You have compassion. You know when to show restraint. They need to see that you won't abuse the power that you have. Show them that you aren't the next Mad King."

Gavin closed his eyes and nodded. "I'm sorry. Thank you, Geoff."

He jumped when he felt Geoff's hand on his arm. "I know, buddy. Stay strong. We'll get through this together." Geoff offered him a tentative smile. "It's almost over."

* * *

In the next week Gavin and the others spent their time doing their best to keep the kingdom calm. The first few messengers began to return to the Achievement City, bearing word from the other kingdoms. The messages all seemed to convey roughly the same words: that the kingdom had been unaware of Achievement City's suffering, and would try to help as fast as they could. Supplies started to trickle in, and tensions were eased.

Gavin leaned back against the trunk of his favorite tree, legs dangling over the branch he was sitting on. Snow sifted down around him, dislodged from the higher branches by the slight breeze. He pulled his scarf up over his nose against the chill and then unfolded the note he'd been clutching since the morning.

_Gavin,_

_I would like to offer my sincerest apologies. I was unaware of the problems that Achievement City was facing, and I promise I will send supplies as soon as I am able._

_That said, there is something else that I would like to discuss with you, and now that I am certain that this message will reach you directly, I feel I can express my concerns in full. A few days ago, I received a letter with no signature that warned me, and I assume the other kingdoms, that the sender was planning on declaring war on Achievement City. I was told to choose a side, for the coming war was not going to exclude any kingdom, and anyone who wouldn't side with the assailant would be assumed to be on your side._

_I believe that the sender was confident that all messages sent to Achievement City would be monitored, and that the other Kings and Queens would not be able to tell you of this person's plan. I'm also sure there are some kingdoms that would not have informed you of the plan either way, and I urge you to watch out for those kingdoms in the future._

_Please take care, for I worry about Achievement City in the state that it is in. I am on your side, Gavin, but whoever is doing this seems to think that many others won't be._

_Sincerely, Queen Serena of the Kingdom of Ino_

Gavin set the letter down in his lap and let his head fall back against the tree. One problem after another. It seemed like it would never end, and he was nearing the end of his rope. With Achievement City barely hanging on, and his crown still missing, Gavin was beginning to think that accepting the offering of kingship wasn't the best idea he'd ever had.

"Hey, Gavin! Come down for a minute, would ya?"

Gavin wasn't sitting as high as he normally was, so when he leaned down, he could easily see the determined look on Michael's face.

He quickly descended the tree and dropped in front of Michael, and almost fell over when he noticed Lindsay standing a little ways behind the knight. They were both dressed in their heaviest winter cloaks, and their noses and ears were as bright as Lindsay's hair.

"Michael, Lindsay," he greeted. "What's going on?"

"We need to speak with you. It's important," Michael said, shifting on his feet. "But can we take it inside? It's cold as balls out here."

Gavin nodded, and the three made their way back to the castle. The snow was falling faster now, and the guards outside the castle doors struggled to open the doors against the drifts of it piling up against the wood.

The trio entered the room quickly once the doors were finally forced open, and they shook off the snow from their cloaks as Michael turned to Gavin.

"Okay, before I say anything else, I wanna apologize. Lindsay had nothing to do with this. It was my idea," Michael said.

Gavin raised an eyebrow. "All right."

Michael sighed. "I know you told us not to tell anyone about the letter you got from Serena, but Lindsay's smart, and I thought she could help us."

"You told her?" Gavin questioned, not exactly angry, but not pleased either.

Michael nodded. "Yeah. Again, I'm sorry. But I had to tell you, because I think Lindsay's onto something."

That piqued Gavin's interest. He turned to Lindsay. "What is it?"

Lindsay unfastened her cloak as she spoke, letting it hang over her shoulders. "Michael told me of what's been going on the past few months, and with what Queen Serena said in her letter, I believe that it's all connected."

"What do you mean?" Gavin asked.

Lindsay wiped her hands on her deep burgundy dress and swallowed. She seemed nervous, though Gavin couldn't figure out why. "Michael said that King Zachariah told him that the kingdoms had been getting letters saying that Achievement City was receiving supplies. Then Queen Serena told you that the kingdoms all got letters about the war. Well, I think whoever is sending them is the same person. Someone was trying to weaken Achievement City by keeping us from our supplies. And now that we're weak, what better time to declare war?"

Gavin noticed that Lindsay had referred to herself as part of Achievement City, but didn't comment on it. "It makes sense."

"I think the same person that is doing this also might be the person that stole your crown and sent the golem to attack Michael," Lindsay added.

Gavin hummed and then turned to Michael. "What do you think?"

"I wouldn't have told you about it if I didn't think she was right, Gavin," Michael said. "It's pretty fucking obvious now that I think about it."

"Good thing you have me around," Lindsay said offhandedly.

Gavin found himself laughing in surprise at her remark. Lindsay seemed to realize what she had said, and a faint blush rose in her cheeks.

Gavin smiled warmly at her. "Well, Lindsay, it seems you are onto something. That was pretty brilliant, actually. In fact, I think it'd be fitting if I asked you to join in on a few of our Guard meetings. We could use some more ideas like yours."

"I'd be honored," Lindsay said sincerely.

Gavin turned to Michael. "Gather the others. I think we should discuss this now. We've waited around too long, and we don't know how much time we have left."

Michael nodded. "You got it."

He ran off, and the castle doors thumped shut behind him. Gavin turned to Lindsay. "What better time to start than now, huh?"

Lindsay smiled. "Lead the way."

Half an hour later, Gavin, Lindsay, Ray, Jack and the four other men on the Guard were seated around the table in the meeting room. Geoff and Michael were still missing, and Gavin was beginning to get bored.

"Does it normally take this long to summon everyone?" Lindsay quietly asked Jack.

Jack shook his head. "Not usually. But I haven't seen Geoff all day. It could just be taking Michael a while to find him."

"Are you really surprised?" Ray quipped. "It's like a fucking blizzard out there. It hasn't snowed this bad in Achievement City since I was a kid."

Jack's reply was cut off by the doors opening. Gavin looked over Jack's shoulder and saw Michael rushing in, cheeks red and hair and clothes dusted with snow. Geoff was not with him.

"Where's-" Jack started, but Michael held up a hand.

"I can't find Geoff," Michael said. "No one's seen him all day. And with the way this storm is, I'm worried that he..."

Michael trailed off when he noticed that Gavin had stood from his seat. Gavin already had his scarf knotted around his neck by the time he spoke. "We'll find him."

"Gavin, the storm-" Jack protested.

Gavin shook his head. "I don't care what the storm is like. I won't let another thing go wrong in this kingdom under my watch. I can't."

* * *

They didn't find Geoff. Even after the storm abated, and Gavin pulled all the knights into a manhunt, there was no sign of Geoff anywhere. Gavin sent out men to check the rural areas of Achievement City, but he had a feeling they wouldn't find him there either.

The people were starting to catch onto the fact what something was wrong. First the supply shortages, then their king's crown going missing, and then Geoff's disappearance. The kingdom was used to hardship, but it was different when everything started to go wrong at once. The people weren't stupid.

After a night of lost sleep, Gavin decided to inform the people of the situation. The other kingdoms, the declaration of war, everything. He didn't want to lose the fragile trust he had built up, not now.

Something was going on. Someone was sabotaging his kingdom, and he wasn't going to sit by and let it happen.

"It's gotta be the kingdom. The one that's threatening war," Michael said. He ran his fingers over his sword, setting the sharpening stone on the armory table.

"I know," Gavin replied. "I mean, I figured as much." He unhooked his quiver and dropped it on the table, scattering arrows over the wood.

"What's stopping them from taking the rest of us?" Michael ran his thumb harshly over the edge of his sword, hissing as it sliced the skin. He paused to suck at the cut, and then shook out his hand. "Whoever it is has shown they're capable of getting in and out of Achievement City without being noticed."

"They're toying with us," Lindsay said quietly. She had traded in her dress for trousers and a tunic when they went out searching for Geoff, and her hair was pulled back from her face. It made her expression seem sharper as she said, "They don't want to just take away our power. They want to show  _their_  power."

Gavin and Michael went quiet, the howling wind outside the castle walls keeping the room from settling into silence.

Finally, Gavin stood. "Well, Jack and Ray will be back soon. Then we can discuss a plan of attack."

"Attack? Gavin, who are we going to attack? We don't know who's doing this," Michael said in surprise.

"No," Gavin admitted. "But we need to be ready once they reveal themselves. I refuse to be taken off guard."

Michael raised an eyebrow, a pleased look crossing his face. "Well, you know I'm in."

Lindsay nodded her agreement, sheathing her short sword.

"All right," Gavin said. "Then let's-"

He was cut off by a knock at the armory door. A man swept inside, pale and out of breath. Gavin recognized him as one of the guards from the dungeons. He looked uncomfortable, and his gaze kept switching between the three before finally settling on Gavin.

"Sire, there's something I have to tell you," the guard said quickly.

Gavin blinked and then turned to Michael, who shrugged, before answering. "All right. What's the matter?"

The guard shifted nervously. "It has to do with Sir Narvaez."

"Ray?" It was Michael who spoke this time. "Is he all right?"

The guard nodded. "He's fine, but-"

"Well, then what is it?" Michael asked impatiently.

The guard bit his lip and then blurt out, "He's been lying to you. He's not out with Sir Pattillo right now, and he hasn't been in the past."

"Where is he then?" Gavin prompted, unease swirling in his stomach.

"He's with Hay- he's with Ryan," the guard answered. "And I fear that they might be conspiring together. I fear he's committing treason."

* * *

Ray stumbled down the steps to the dungeon and stopped at the door. The guards, used to his presence by now, allowed Ray to pass. He swept by them and didn't notice as the two guards at the doors exchanged a look, one nodding to the other and moving to the stairs. Ray was already in the cell room by the time the guard had left.

Ray stopped in front of Ryan's cell, wrapping his fingers around the bars and ignoring the aching in his muscles. He'd been up too long, but he wasn't about to rest, not when everything was falling apart so fast.

"Geoff's missing."

There was a pause, and then Ray heard a quiet "...what?"

Ray peered into the darkness and saw Ryan slumped against the back wall. Through the dimness of the dungeon, Ray could see how out of it Ryan looked, his eyes glazed over and his body slack. There was a plate of untouched food by the cell door, the meat looking, and smelling, at least a day or two old. Ray kicked away a few rats circling the tray.

"Geoff's missing," Ray repeated. "And one of the kingdoms has threatened to declare war on Achievement City."

Ryan only hummed at that. Ray's temper, already strained from the stress of the situation, broke, and he called over a guard. The guard unlocked the cell, and Ray entered, picking up a pail of water as he went. When he reached Ryan, he unceremoniously dumped the water over the man. Ryan spluttered and jerked up, and Ray took a step back.

"Shit- What the- Ray?" Ryan blinked water out of his eyes and brushed away wet strands of hair.

"Geoff is missing," Ray said again, this time through clenched teeth.

Ryan's eyes widened in surprise. "When?"

"Yesterday. There was a snow storm, and a few people are saying he might have gotten caught in it, but with everything else that is going on, we think he was taken," Ray explained stiffly. He eyed Ryan unblinkingly, not even flinching as Ryan staggered to his feet.

"What do you want me to do about it?" Ryan asked seriously, shivering against the cold the water had brought on. He picked up the thin blanket he had off the floor and wrapped it around his shoulders.

Ray had frozen at the statement. "I don't know."

Ryan's eyes narrowed, more out of curiosity than anything. "Why are you here Ray? Really?" he questioned. His eyes flickered over Ray's face.

Ray shifted uncomfortably against Ryan's gaze. With one question, Ryan had reminded Ray of the same thing he asked himself every time he visited Ryan: Why did he keep coming back?

Ray swallowed. "I... don't know."

Ryan sat back on his heels, a calm look in his eyes. "You might want to figure that out."

* * *

"Treason is a serious crime," Michael reminded the guard as they made their way to the dungeons.

Gavin nodded his agreement. "This is Ray we're talking about. He's our friend. We would know if something was wrong." But Gavin bit his lip after he said it. Ray had been acting strange lately, but with everything else going on Gavin hadn't paid much attention to it. He was beginning to wonder if he should have.

"That's my issue, sire," the guard said tentatively. "Ray and Ryan were close, everyone knew that. Ryan could be trying to take the throne again, and who better to help him than an old friend who just happens to be part of the council and your Guard?"

"It's not unusual to visit prisoners. Even I have spoken with Ryan a few times during his imprisonment," Gavin said.

"But you haven't been lying about it," the guard pointed out. "Why would Ray lie if he didn't have something to hide?"

"Wouldn't you know if he's been conspiring with Ryan?" Michael asked. "You're in the room with them, aren't you?"

The guard bit his lip and scratched the back of his head. "Well, no. Ray requests that we leave the two of them alone whenever he visits."

Gavin and Michael exchanged a look, and Gavin felt his stomach flip. He didn't want to believe the guard, but so far everything he had said seemed to make sense, and added on to the evidence against Ray.

"How many times has Ray visited Ryan?" Michael asked after a moment. They had come to a stop in the Grand Hall, and the guard was rummaging in his pockets for a flint and steel to light a torch, as the ones lining the staircase into the dungeon had blown out.

"At least half a dozen when I was there. He could have come by more when it was the other guards' shifts."

Gavin ran a hand through his hair. "It just doesn't seem like Ray."

"Hey, guys!"

The four turned around and spotted Jack making his way towards them. Snow edged the bottom of his cloak and he was still shaking it out of his hair by the time he reached them.

"Jack, was Ray with you?" Gavin asked in lieu of a greeting.

Jack lowered his hand from his hair, and his smile slipped away at the urgency in Gavin's tone. "No, he told me he was going to check the Labs." He looked between Gavin and Michael. "Don't tell me he's gone missing too."

Gavin sighed. "Not quite."

The guard managed to light a torch, and they carried on as Michael filled in Jack.

About halfway down the stairs, Lindsay spoke up. "I'm sorry, but I have to ask. You're talking about Ryan Haywood, right? Your old king?"

"Yeah," Michael answered. "That's the one."

"I was under the impression that you guys would have killed him. Granted, I haven't exactly been in contact with civilization for a few months, but from what I've heard of what he did, I thought for sure he'd be executed," Lindsay said.

Gavin winced, and he noticed that Michael and Jack looked about the same as how he felt. "It's a little more complicated than that, Lindsay," he answered.

"He overthrew you, didn't he?" Lindsay asked Michael. "I mean, I get that he was your king once, but-"

"He was more than just our king. He was our friend," Jack answered to Gavin's surprise. They had all been close, sure, but he never got the impression that Jack completely trusted Ryan. "He was like family. We couldn't be the ones to sign his execution order. So we didn't."

Lindsay went quiet, and no one else spoke up, so the group continued down the stairs in silence. When they reached the bottom, the second guard seemed to be waiting for them. After a quick bow to Gavin, he opened the door and let in the group.

Gavin entered first. The room looked the same as it had the last time he had visited, but it was definitely colder. Gavin wrapped his cloak tighter around his shoulders and stopped when he caught sight of Ray. The man stood outside Ryan's cell, leaning up against it and speaking lowly to the man inside. When he heard the door open he turned, and once he caught sight of his friends gathered a few feet from him, he paled.

"Hey..." Ray said after a moment, his voice giving out at the end of the word.

Ryan had strained against his chains to get a better view when the door had opened and raised an eyebrow upon seeing the group. He looked thinner and more ragged, and Gavin wondered if he was being fed at all. His frustration with the guards spiked again, but dropped back down when Michael swore quietly next to him. He turned and saw that Michael and Jack were frozen next to him, and he remembered that they hadn't seen Ryan in the five months he'd been imprisoned. Ryan did look awful, but that was an issue for another time.

"Ray," Gavin greeted.

Gavin saw Ryan turn his head to look questioningly at Ray as the younger man swallowed and stepped away from the cell as if he'd been burned. "Hold on, Gavin-"

"Why have you been lying to us?" Gavin asked, and he couldn't keep the slight hurt out of his voice.

"I haven't- Well, I mean, it's not that, just- just let me explain." Ray fumbled over his words, running his sleeve between his fingers.

Gavin stepped forward. "I'm not mad, Ray, it's fine." He paused. "I just have one question for you."

Ray blinked in surprise. "What?"

"What have you been doing down here with Ryan?"

Ray opened his mouth and then shut it. He started to turn towards Ryan, but stopped himself mid-motion. "Talking," he answered honestly.

Gavin cocked his head. "About what?"

This time Ray did turn to Ryan. "We, well-" Ryan stepped back from the cell door and Ray stopped. He and Ryan made eye contact, and then Ray looked back at Gavin. "Nothing, really. Just general conversation." Ray let out a breath that sounded a little like a laugh and looked down. "I know it's not a great idea, but I couldn't stop myself. Old habits, I guess." He trailed off, and then looked back up. "Why? What's this about?" He glanced among the group, voice less shaky.

Michael stepped up even with Gavin. "One of the guards thinks that you and Ryan are responsible for the problems that Achievement City has been having, including Geoff's disappearance."

The surprise on Ray's face alone was nearly enough to convince Gavin that he was innocent. Even Ryan looked taken aback. "Wait, what?

"He thinks it's suspicious that you've been lying to us about meeting with Ryan, and about your request that the guards leave the room when you meet," Gavin filled in.

Ray sucked in a breath. "Listen, I know I should have told you about coming down here, but I didn't really want you guys knowing about it. I don't have a good reason, but I swear to you that I had nothing to do with any of that. I would never do that to Achievement City or to you guys."

"Ryan seemed happy enough to harm the kingdom last time," the guard muttered behind Gavin. Gavin was about to shoot him a glare, but Michael beat him to it. Gavin barely kept the smirk off his face.

"I had my reasons," Ryan murmured darkly, and Gavin shivered at the tone. "But this wasn't me. Not this time."

Gavin let out a breath. "All right, I believe you," he said to Ray, and Ray flashed him a relieved smile. "But no more lies, okay? We need to trust each other if we're going to make it through all this."

Ray swallowed. "Agreed." He nodded to Ryan, and Ryan returned the gesture. Ray moved away from him and then joined the group. They left the dungeon, Gavin brushing by the guard coldly, promising himself that he'd figure out the guard situation soon.

When they reached the light of the Grand Hall, everyone seemed to let out a collective breath. The torches were all lit for the night, and the warm glow of the small flames was calming after the tension in the dungeons. The group stood together in the hall, not saying anything for a moment. Gavin was just relieved that he didn't have to deal with another betrayal from a friend on top of everything else. Beyond that, the situation just added to the mounting frustration Gavin had with his guards.

"I'm glad you're not a traitor, Ray," Michael said after a moment.

Ray snorted. "Yeah, same."

"I didn't expect Ryan to look so..." Jack spoke up quietly. His lips pressed together in a troubled frown.

Ray sighed and nodded. "I know. I meant to ask you about that, Gav."

"It's the guards," Michael said before Gavin could answer, surprising him, though he knew it shouldn't have. Michael picked up on things easily. "They're starving him and beating the shit out of him."

"Is there anything you can do?" Lindsay asked. Gavin jumped at her voice. She'd been so quiet through the whole thing. He'd nearly forgotten that she had never known Ryan before. That didn't seem to matter; he could tell she knew something was wrong just by looking at her face. In the light he could see that she was hugging herself lightly, as if she didn't even know she was doing it.

Michael put a hand on her arm, and Gavin blinked at the tenderness in the gesture. "We'll do something. I won't have any of my knights, or my guards, acting that way towards anyone. Prisoners included."

"It's just one thing after another, isn't it?" Ray asked, his voice bitter.

Gavin sagged, reminded of the weight that had been pressing down on him for what seemed like years. "I wish I could do more."

Michael nudged him. "Let's all get some rest, yeah? Now that we're all on the same page, we can tackle this better. We've got the information. We just need a plan."

"Tomorrow morning," Gavin said, and the others nodded. They began walking towards their rooms.

"What do you think they're going to target next?" Jack asked. "One of us?"

"Maybe," Gavin answered. "We're strong together, and they know that."

They reached the hallway containing their rooms and stood in front of their respective doors. Since Gavin's room was around the corner, he paused at the end of the hall.

Michael leaned against the wood of his door as he spoke. "They'll try to take us out one by one. They know it's the only way to weaken us more."

"Well, we're all still here right now. That's good, right?" Ray said, walking backwards into his room. "As long as we stick together, we should be fine."

The others agreed and eventually everyone retreated to their own rooms. Gavin dressed for the night, but found himself sitting on the edge of his bed, unable to sleep. He tried to convince himself that Ray was right. They'd be fine for now. They'd have enough time to make a plan. It could wait until tomorrow.

By the time Gavin woke up, Ray was already gone.

* * *

A month passed. It was clear to Gavin that Ray had been taken like Geoff had, and like Geoff, it seemed as if he had vanished without a trace. His room was empty, bed untouched and bow still hung on its hook. He knew almost without thinking that there was no point in searching for him. He'd have to wait until the other kingdom made the first move. Until then, they could only stick together.

They put aside their pride and began sleeping in the same room, taking shifts and not letting any of them go out of sight. They moved together like a pack or in pairs. They couldn't afford to lose anyone else. Without each other, they wouldn't last.

"I'm sick of this," Michael seethed one afternoon. The snow had abated and they had decided to try and train as much as they could.

"Of training?" Jack said with muted surprise. He pulled his ax out of a dummy target, stepping on its "chest" and yanking the weapon free with a grunt.

"No, of this, of  _waiting_ ," Michael groaned. His sword flashed through the air and made contact with Lindsay's. She darted away and readjusted herself, shaking out her arm from the ferocity of the blow. "I hate not being able to do anything. What are they waiting for?"

"They're trying to get us alone," Gavin answered. "But that's not going to happen, so they're holding back." Even as he said it, he felt the imposing nature of the words in his chest.

"We can't live like this forever," Michael continued. "Sharing a room with you guys is great and all, but I'd like to be able to do things on my own."

"Believe me, we all want that," Jack said. "But this is all we can do for now."

Michael huffed in frustration, attacking Lindsay with greater force. In his anger, he overstepped, and Lindsay took advantage of the opening. She disarmed him and brought him to the ground in one move. Gavin snorted at the surprise on Michael's face as Lindsay reached out a hand to help him up.

"Maybe you should worry more about keeping up with Lindsay," Gavin joked, and Lindsay flashed a grin at him.

Michael rolled his eyes and took Lindsay's hand. "I still say we should try and think of something else. We need someone who knows how the enemy thinks."

Gavin froze, and the arrow he was holding slipped out of his fingers. It stuck in the ground a few feet away. The others shot him puzzled looks.

"I have an idea," Gavin announced. "Pack up and follow me."

"Where are we going?" Michael asked, sheathing his sword.

"To have a talk with someone," Gavin answered. "I think he knows exactly what our is opponent thinking."

* * *

"You're freeing me?" Ryan asked. The apprehension in his eyes matched his wary posture, half turned away from the others, eyes lidded in suspicion.

"Not exactly," Gavin answered. He stood in front of Ryan's cell with the others, the key to the cell held loosely in his hands. "But we need your help, and you can't exactly do that locked up down here."

Ryan eyed the key with barely contained hunger. His fingers twitched over his cuffs. "Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"It's the only one we've got."

Ryan's eyes flashed away from the key to Gavin's face. After a moment of searching, he looked behind Gavin and frowned. "Where's Ray?"

Gavin tensed, glancing back at the others. "You didn't hear?"

Ryan shook his head. "When the guards talk to me, it's not usually about the news of the kingdom." He focused on Gavin's face. "Why? What happened?"

"He went missing the night after Geoff was taken," Jack answered, and there was a hint of pain in his tone. "That's one of the reasons we're desperate enough to get your help. I'm worried about the conditions he and Geoff might be kept in. It could aggravate his healing process. Something I'm sure you're aware of." Jack eyed Ryan, and Gavin was surprised to see Ryan look away from his stare.

After a moment, Ryan spoke. "What do you need me for?"

"Whoever is doing this obviously wants to take Achievement City," Michael said. "We thought you'd know something about that."

Ryan stopped fiddling with his cuffs. He matched Michael's cold look with one of his own and finally sighed. "If you think I can help, then I don't really have any other choice, do I?"

Gavin stepped forward and unlocked the cell. He almost dropped the key, as his hands were trembling. He told himself that he was making the right decision, that Ryan wouldn't hurt him.

He reached Ryan's crouched figure and paused. Ryan held his fists out, watching Gavin with expectant eyes. Gavin quickly unlocked the cuffs and stepped back. Ryan gasped as the cuffs fell, revealing his bloody and scabbed wrists. Gavin handed Ryan the key so he could unlock his own ankles and then grabbed Ryan's outstretched arm to haul him up. Ryan stumbled a little, the weakness in his body nearly exhausting him.

Ryan rubbed his wrists and handed the key back. "Never thought I'd be free of those things," he mumbled to himself, as if forgetting the others were there.

They made their way out in silence, but Gavin paused as another prisoner pressed against his cell and spoke.

"He hasn't changed, you know. You trust him now, but how long with that last? How long before he betrays you again?"

The prisoner's dark eyes made Gavin step back a little, but he still responded. "That won't happen. Not again."

The prisoner smiled in a way that made Gavin's stomach flip. "Are you willing to risk it?"

Gavin turned away from the man and shook off the cold shivers in his spine. Ryan didn't react to the prisoner's words, seemingly lost in his own thoughts.

Word spread of Ryan's release almost instantly. Gavin expected that, though. The release of Achievement City's most infamous criminal was not small news. Gavin put Jack and Lindsay in charge of calming the people. Though she was new, Lindsay was well liked by the people of Achievement City.

Gavin and Michael brought Ryan into the Guard room with them. A map of Achievement City and the kingdoms surrounding it sat on a table, with the castles circled in in red ink. The spots where Geoff and Ray had last been seen were also circled.

"What do you think?" Gavin asked, turning towards Ryan.

Ryan's face was hard to read as he stared down at the maps. He was still dressed in the shirt and trousers all prisoners wore, and his face was spotted with dirt and flecks of blood. He blinked and looked up at Gavin.

"You're not prepared for this war," Ryan said. "You'll lose Achievement City like this."

Gavin felt his heart thump painfully in his chest.

"Why do you think you're here?" Michael snapped, but he looked unnerved.

Ryan rolled back on his heels and then leaned against the table. He looked exhausted, but Gavin wasn't going to let him leave. Not yet. He stared expectantly at Ryan until the man continued.

"Whoever is threatening you," Ryan started, "isn't going to step back. There is fire in his blood. Whatever he wants, power, wealth, revenge, he isn't going to just take. He wants war. He wants bloodshed. He wants to see Achievement City suffer, and he isn't going to wait around for us to slip up."

Ryan stopped, his hands twitching over his wrists. Gavin watched him run a hand through his greasy hair and wondered how much of what Ryan had said reflected the thoughts of his past self. A spark of something flashed in Ryan's eyes, and Gavin thought maybe Ryan wasn't just drawing on past desires. Maybe Ryan hadn't changed as much as he'd thought.

The three of them spent the next few hours planning and running over all the letters they had received. Eventually they had to stop when Ryan nearly fell asleep at the table. Gavin packed up the documents and then the three of them made their way back to the room they were all sharing. Ryan almost immediately collapsed on the spare cot. Jack and Lindsay returned a few minutes later as Gavin was removing his weapons belt. They all fell asleep within minutes of each other, with Michael standing guard at the door, sword across his lap and candle illuminating a small circle of light around him. Gavin found himself unable to sleep, staring at the ceiling with racing thoughts until Michael called to him in a whisper.

"Can't sleep?"

Gavin sat up and nodded. "I can take over if you want to rest."

Michael shrugged and they both stood, switching places. Gavin settled against the stone wall with his bow in his lap, and Michael stretched out on the blankets, a yawn slipping past his lips.

"Night," Michael said, looking up at Gavin before turning over to face the wall.

Gavin hummed in response, finger tracing the minute carvings in his bow. His eyes flickered over to Ryan's sleeping form. Even laying down his shirt hung off him, rippling with every breath Ryan took. He twitched, muttering nonsensical words. Gavin wondered if he was having a nightmare, and the thought surprised him. Surely someone like Ryan wouldn't be scared of anything? Then his eyes caught on the scar of an old burn stretching across Ryan's forearm, and Gavin sat back, remembering that there was a time when Ryan had been different. He caught himself staring at the scar and looked away. He supposed that if Ryan had cause to be scared of anything, memories of the things that had broken him must have been at the top of the list. For the first time in years, Gavin felt pity for the man.

He quickly smothered it down. No matter what, there were things he couldn't forget. He couldn't forgive Ryan, not after everything he'd done. That was too much to ask of him.

* * *

Gavin awoke in the morning to Ryan and Jack talking quietly. Lindsay was still sleeping, and Michael had disappeared under the cover of what seemed to be half a dozen blankets. Ryan stood in front of a mirror, carefully shaving as Jack leaned against the wall next to him. They both seemed to be ignoring how Jack's hand was loosely gripping his sword handle.

"I didn't think I'd miss being clean-shaven," Ryan was saying.

Jack hummed, an amused smile touching his lips. "It's the little things."

Ryan made a noise in his throat, setting down the razor and running a hand over his face. Jack noticed that Gavin was awake and greeted him quietly. Gavin stood to join the two.

"You look rested Ryan. Sleep well?" Gavin asked cheerily.

Ryan shrugged, but the dark circles under his eyes did seem to have been diminished.

"There's a wash basin in the corner if you want to use it," Jack said, nodding to the back of the room.

"I think I might go down to the shore and wash there." Ryan picked at his shirt. "A few months of dirt isn't going to come off in a basin."

"Are you nuts? That water is freezing," Jack asked in surprise. It had been warm for February, but there were still sheets of ice in the water.

Ryan smiled. "I'll be fine."

Once Michael and Lindsay awoke, they took Ryan down to the shore. Without pausing, Ryan stripped off his shirt and waded into the water. Goose bumps erupted on his skin, and Gavin was expecting Ryan to come rushing back out of the water, but the man seemed to relax. He stretched out, floating on his back for a moment, before ducking under the surface. He resurfaced a moment later, shaking the water out of his hair, and began scraping the dirt off his skin.

Gavin and the others sat down on the shore and waited for Ryan to finish up. Michael lay on his back next to Lindsay, staring up at the sky and folding his arms behind his head. A pile of Ryan's old clothes sat by his side. They were a little dusty and wrinkled from having been shoved in a drawer when Ryan was imprisoned, but they were clean. Lindsay turned away as Ryan dressed himself. He then sat with them, running his hands through his wet hair to push it back out of his eyes. He looked more alive than Gavin had seen him look in months, eyes bright and traces of his imprisonment washed away.

"Now what?" Jack asked.

He, Michael and Lindsay turned to Gavin, but Gavin had turned to Ryan. Ryan raised an eyebrow, and Gavin snapped off a piece of grass he'd been playing with, the tips of his ears tinging red. "Ah, well, Ryan. What do you think the other kingdom is going to do next?"

Ryan stuck out his arms behind him, resting his weight on them. "Attack," he said simply.

"Really?" Michael asked. He was sitting cross-legged, but he leaned forward at Ryan's word. "That's it?"

Ryan nodded. "You're not giving him any room to move. So he's going to decide to push instead. He'll force you into making a decision, whether it's good or bad, planned or unplanned."

Gavin frowned. "But we haven't prepared. We'll be caught off guard if he attacks soon-" He cut off with a gasp of realization.

Ryan smiled grimly. "Exactly."

Almost on cue, they heard a scream echo over the treetops. The group rocketed to their feet, pausing for only a moment before sprinting through the forest.

"Where did it come from?" Lindsay shouted.

"It sounded like it was near the training grounds," Michael answered. He swore, nearly tripping over himself, and began running faster. "Some of the knights are supposed to be there for a session today."

The group burst out of the tree line and stopped dead, mouths falling open in unison. Two dozen or so knights were battling on the fields, a few already on the ground wounded or dead. Endermen darted between them, attacking and disappearing faster than the knights could keep up.

"Shit," Michael gasped, and he darted forward, sword already in hand.

Gavin ran after him, dodging bands of fighting knights. Ryan kept pace with him. Gavin drew his bow and then unsheathed his sword, tossing it to Ryan. Ryan caught it easily, skidding to a stop as an Enderman appeared in front of him. Ryan rolled out of the way and slashed at the monster's legs. It shrieked and disappeared. Ryan glanced around, searching for the Enderman, but Gavin didn't wait for him. He moved ahead toward the tree line, swinging himself up into the nearest one and situating himself in the branches. He drew an arrow and notched it, targeting an Enderman and letting the arrow fly. The Enderman screamed as it was hit and spun around to face Gavin. It hissed and let out a low, threatening sound, before teleporting directly below Gavin. Gavin jumped in surprise, nearly tumbling out of the tree, but he caught himself by wrapping his arm around the trunk. He braced himself, expecting to be pulled from the branches, but the Enderman seemed unable to reach him. Gavin quickly loosed another arrow into the Enderman's head, and the creature made an agonized sound, exploding into a cloud of purple dust.

Gavin took advantage of his spot and quickly began firing arrows in rapid succession, covering the knights before they could be hit by the Endermen. A few more knights fell, but the Endermen were falling faster. The knights pressed on, spurred by the support they now had. Gavin grinned, confident that they would win this fight. The knights were dragging away the wounded and staying back to tend to them on Michael's orders. Michael must have been sure that he, Gavin, Lindsay, Ryan, and Jack could handle the rest of the Endermen. Only a few were left. Then he heard Lindsay scream.

Michael shouted her name moments later, and Gavin whipped his head around, searching for the two. He immediately drew an arrow when he found them. Lindsay had dropped her sword, and her right shoulder was bleeding, her shirt rapidly turning scarlet as she struggled against an Enderman's hold on her arm. The Enderman was tugging on her, and Gavin could see the grimace on Lindsay's face every time it moved, but it was kept from disappearing by Michael and Jack, who were ferociously attacking it with blow after blow. Eventually the Enderman dropped Lindsay's arm to keep up with their attacks, and Lindsay staggered away, knees hitting the dirt. She winced at the impact and scrambled for her sword.

Michael dodged an attack and shouted, "Ryan! Cover her!"

Ryan appeared out of nowhere, blocking another Enderman's arm and helping Lindsay to her feet. The two of them stumbled away from the battlefield, Lindsay craning her head back to watch Michael.

Gavin covered the two of them, waiting until they were a safe enough distance away before turning back. His breath caught in his throat at the number of Enderman surrounding Michael and Jack. Jack rolled out of the way of an Enderman's sweeping arms, creating enough distance between him and Michael that the Endermen closed in around Michael. Gavin lost sight of the knight and began launching arrows at the mass of Endermen. Jack attacked from the outside, circling the group and trying to get back to Michael. Gavin saw flashes of Michael's sword in the gaps of the group, and kept firing, knowing Michael was still fighting.

Eventually they got it down to two Endermen, the rest having disappeared completely or been killed. Gavin hopped out of his tree and ran closer, hurdling over kicked up piles of dirt and fallen knights. He fired an arrow into the leg of an Enderman and it shrieked in pain, disappearing and reappearing almost instantly. Michael seemed to be faring well. He slashed down at the Endermen, a wild grin on his face. Then one of the Endermen knocked Jack away, and he hit the ground hard, skidding across the dirt and coming to a stop on his side.

"Jack!" Gavin cried, starting to run towards the man.

Jack sat up and shakily responded, "I'm fine. Help Michael!"

Reassured that Jack was okay, Gavin turned back in time to see the Endermen grab Michael's arms. Michael let out a frustrated yell and struggled against them, shouting obscenities and trying to free himself. The one holding his right arm pulled back, hard, and Gavin heard a sick pop. Michael screamed in pain, dropping his sword. His legs gave out, but he quickly recovered, stumbling back to standing. He clenched his jaw and twisted angrily to get away, but cried out as his shoulder clicked at the movement. The Endermen held fast, attempting to keep him still, even as Michael kicked at their legs, his face alarmingly pale.

"Michael!" Gavin shouted, pulling back another arrow hard enough that his bow creaked.

Michael opened his mouth to shout back at the same time Gavin let the arrow fly. But Gavin didn't hear what Michael said, and the arrow flew past its mark, because the Endermen had already disappeared, taking Michael with them.

The training fields went eerily silent.

Gavin dropped to his knees, bow falling to the dirt with him. He didn't looked up as Jack staggered his side, collapsing next to Gavin and putting a hand on his shoulder. Gavin pulled in a sharp breath, chest too tight to speak.

Ryan ran over before Jack could say anything, calling out to them, "Lindsay is safe with the other knights. What-" He paused, finally close enough to see the looks on Gavin and Jack's faces. "What happened? Where's Michael?"

Gavin swallowed and finally found his words. "The Endermen got him. They took him." He closed his eyes, pressing his hands into the dirt. "He's gone."

* * *

It was almost too much for the kingdom. The casualties the knights faced and the loss of Michael nearly destroyed the people's resolve. But, unlike Gavin thought, there were no riots. There were no protests or mass gatherings of displeased citizens. If anything, the kingdom grew quieter. They seemed trapped in a perpetual state of mourning, and it hovered over the kingdom like a smothering fog.

The next day found the three men sitting together in their room, Lindsay sleeping quietly on her uninjured side a few feet away from them. She'd been quiet since Michael had been taken, and the others had urged her to get some sleep. The rest of them had minor injuries only, and were more concerned about the kingdom than themselves.

"I didn't think it would be Michael next," Jack said. "Out of all of us, I was sure..."

Ryan nodded. "But would he have gone out any other way?"

Gavin winced. "Don't- don't say that. You say that like he's dead."

A hint of regret flashed over Ryan's face, and he looked down. "We don't know where he is, Gavin. Or any of them for that matter. For all we know, they could be dead. At the very least we know that Michael's hurt, and Ray can't be faring much better. If we don't find them soon, it might be too late."

Gavin sucked in a breath. Three of his best friends were gone. They could be facing torture, or starvation. They could even be dead. No. No, they couldn't be dead. He would die himself before letting any harm befall his friends. Gavin stood suddenly, a new ferocity in his heart. Jack and Ryan looked at him in surprise.

"I'm tired of this," Gavin said, clenching his fists. "I'm going to do something. I don't care what, but I have to do something. I'm not letting anything else happen to any of you."

Jack went to open his mouth when they were interrupted by a knock on the door. Gavin turned in surprise and moved to answered it, revealing an out of breath messenger. He was damp with the rain pouring outside and looked exhausted. Gavin recognized him as one of the riders that had been sent out to the other kingdoms.

"Sire," the messenger panted, bowing. "I have returned from Electra with urgent news." The messenger unbuttoned his cloak and reached inside it, grabbing a letter and handing it to Gavin.

"Oh, thank you," Gavin replied, taking the letter with slightly shaky fingers. News after everything that had happened. He wondered if it would help, if reading it would give him what he needed to know to get back his friends.

The messenger left, and Gavin shut the door with his foot, already tearing into the letter. Jack and Ryan watched expectantly as Gavin's eyes roamed over the paper.

_Gavin,_

_It pains me to hear of the misfortune that your kingdom is facing. I wish I could give you good news, but I fear I only bear more conflict. Recently I received a letter warning me, and I assume the other kingdoms, of an impending war. Then, only yesterday, I got another letter that explained the plan. I don't know who sent it, only that the letter said they plan to invade Achievement City through the forests in the east. I wish I could tell you how much time you have, but I don't know when whoever this is plans to attack, nor when you'll receive this letter._

_I hope my warning helps._

_King Roderick of the Kingdom of Electra_

Gavin felt his stomach drop at the words. He stood frozen for a moment, before clearing his throat and rereading the letter out loud to the others. His voice tapered off at the last word, and the room was left in silence. Only when Ryan spoke did Gavin move.

"We must go now."

Gavin stared at him. "Ryan-"

Ryan stood, cutting him off. "We have no choice. This is our one chance to figure out who is doing this, and why. You said so yourself that you were tired of standing around."

"But this," Gavin waved the letter, "How do we know it's truth? How do we know that Roderick wasn't lied to?"

"We don't." Gavin blinked in surprise at Jack's voice. "But Ryan's right. We need to act on it, or we might not get another chance."

Gavin clutched the letter in his hand, staring between the two men. Finally, he nodded. "All right. Let's go."

They all grabbed their gear together and dressed. As Gavin was pulling his quiver over his head, Jack spoke up. "What about Lindsay?"

As if her name triggered something in her mind, Lindsay awoke. She blinked sleep out of her eyes and brushed back a strand of loose hair. "What... Guys? What's going on?"

Gavin paused, and then quickly explained the situation. "I'm sorry, Lindsay, but you shouldn't come. You'd be in too much pain to make the journey."

"I'm not just going to sit here, if that's what you're implying," Lindsay said firmly.

Gavin sighed. "I am. But you won't be doing nothing. The people like you, and I can't think of a better person to watch over the kingdom while we're gone."

Lindsay sighed and rubbed her eyes. "Thank you, Gavin. But I really must insist that I come with you."

"We're going to be facing a battle. You can barely raise your sword arm. Gavin is right. It'd be best if you stayed here," Ryan said. Lindsay gave him a measured look, but finally nodded.

"We'll assign some guards to watch over you. The Endermen shouldn't be targeting you, since you weren't part of our original group, but it can't hurt to be safe," Gavin said.

"Try and get some rest," Jack added.

Lindsay nodded, and the three started to leave the room.

"You'll find them, won't you?" Lindsay asked.

Gavin looked back and smiled. "Of course we will."

He swept out of the room, Ryan and Jack at his heels.

"Do you really think we're going to finally figure out who is doing this?" Jack asked as they walked.

Ryan hummed. "I don't know. I hope so."

Gavin nodded in acknowledgement, the same hope swirling in his chest. They found three of Gavin's most trusted guards standing in the hall and sent them to the room with strict instructions to guard Lindsay with their lives.

One of the guards nodded, crossing her arm over her chest and bowing slightly to Gavin. "I'd be honored."

Gavin smiled, pleasantly surprised. "Thank you."

He, Ryan, and Jack continued onto the armory, their footsteps quickening as they reached the room. Gavin tossed his bow on the table and went to open the cabinet filled with arrows. He began stocking his quiver with more, and Ryan did the same. Gavin almost forgot that Ryan was a great archer, until he remembered that the man had taught Ray everything he knew, and Ray was easily one of the best in the kingdom.

Soon, Jack had finished sharpening his ax, and the three of them checked over their armor and weapons one more time.

"I'll gather the knights and inform them of the situation. The eastern forests are about a four day walk away, but if we hurry we might make it in three," Gavin said.

"What are we looking for when we get there?" Jack asked, hefting his ax over his shoulder.

Gavin shrugged. "Hopefully the answer to our problems."

They were making their way out of the room when Gavin heard a pop behind him. Ryan and Jack turned, and their faces morphed into equal looks of shock.

"Gavin, move!" Ryan shouted, instantly drawing his bow.

Gavin went to dive out of the way, but was stopped by two impossibly long, black arms circling around his waist. Gavin shouted in surprise, struggling against the hold. The arms tightened and his voice died out as he struggled to breathe.

Both Jack and Ryan were yelling, and Ryan was trying to fire his arrows, but fear of hitting Gavin kept him from letting the arrow loose. Jack had darted forward, and was moving to slice into the Enderman's legs, when suddenly Gavin lost sight of the two. His stomach lurched violently, blood pounding in his head. He was moving impossibly fast; even if the Enderman's arms weren't like vices around his chest, he wouldn't be able to find the air to breathe. His scream was sucked into the wind as he finally lost consciousness, trapped and falling for what felt like eternity.

* * *

Ryan sliced viciously at a branch with his sword. They'd been walking nearly nonstop for almost three days, and though his body was exhausted, he wasn't going to stop. He had run out of patience, and it was time to finally get some answers. Jack was silent next to him, his own sword pushing aside the tall grasses and low branches of the eastern forest. They had reached the treeline a few hours ago, and the farther they traveled, the denser the trees had gotten. The group of knights was almost single-file, hardly finding room to spread out.

"We're at the forest. What now?" one of the knights asked.

Ryan paused, unconsciously waiting for an answer before realizing that they were all looking to him. He turned to Jack, but the man only shrugged. Ryan blinked in surprise, a small sense of satisfaction swirling in his chest.

"We keep moving. The last thing we want is to be caught off guard, especially in a place like this. If no one shows up in a few days, we'll leave," Ryan answered.

"So, we're just waiting?" another knight asked.

"That's the plan," Ryan said. "Unless you can think of a better one."

No one answered, and Ryan turned back around, continuing through the forest.

Eventually, they did have to stop, but it was only at Jack's insistence that the knights were exhausted and deserved a rest. Ryan had to admit that he was tired too. After being locked up for over half a year, his muscles were not very strong, and he could feel the tremors in them as he sat down against a tree.

Ryan shook out his limbs as one of the knights started a fire. They had picked a place were the grasses were lower, but the trees were still just as clumped together, and the space was a little cramped. The fire was a nice respite from the chill of the evening, though.

Jack sat down next to Ryan and rested his back against a tree. He looked up into the branches and murmured, "I'm still confused."

"About what?" Ryan responded.

"Why this is happening. Why someone would go to such great lengths to weaken our kingdom." He turned his face down to meet Ryan's gaze. "Does it make sense to you?"

Ryan chuckled. "I suppose you think it would, don't you?"

Jack's face stayed neutral. "Look, Ryan, I want to believe you're on our side again, I really do. Some part of me still thinks of you as my brother, but I don't know if I can ever go back to how it was before. Ray and Gavin might think you've changed, but to me they're still the kids I knew six years ago. They want to see the good in you, and while I know I should at least think about giving you a second chance, it's hard for me to find that trust again."

Ryan nodded slowly. "I understand, and I wouldn't ask you to do anything more. What I did... it's not exactly something I can ask forgiveness for."

"Maybe with time you can earn some of that trust back," Jack said. "But right now, know that the only reason I'm following you is because I know you want to get the others back as much as I do."

Ryan pulled in a deep breath. "Okay. Thank you, Jack."

"Prove to me I'm not making the wrong decision," Jack said. He closed his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest, letting his head tilt forward. Soon, he had fallen into a light sleep.

Ryan didn't respond. He turned towards the fire and stared into the dancing flames. Maybe Jack was making the wrong decision. Maybe trusting Ryan would only result in more loses. More death. He shivered. Maybe he would only make things worse. Could he prove to Jack that he had changed?

Even Ryan didn't know the answer to that.

* * *

At dawn they were moving again. The air was thick with the impending threat of rain, and a dense mist had settled over the ground, nearly obscuring their legs. The knights were quiet; an unearthly silence seemed to have accompanied the onset of fog. The only thing that broke the quiet was the thump of the knights' boots against the ground and the metallic  _snicks_  as they swept their swords among the undergrowth, if only for something to do.

 _Thump_.  _Snick_. A knight hissed in a sharp breath as he stubbed his toe against a shrouded root.  _Thump_.

Ryan hardly paid attention to the quiet until he realized something. He paused and held out an arm to stop the knights, listening to confirm his theory. His stomach dropped, heart beginning to pound, and he clenched his sword a little tighter.

"What is it?" Jack asked.

Ryan swallowed, turning slowly in a circle, his body disrupting the mist. "We're alone."

"What?" Jack frowned in confusion.

"Completely alone. There are no animals. Listen," he commanded quietly, unable to muster up anything more than a whisper to break the silence.

The knights all seemed to hear it, or rather not hear anything, at the same time.

"Ryan..." Jack murmured, looking around slowly. "What's going on?"

Ryan felt it in his chest like an arrow to the heart. He gasped and took a step back, sheathing his sword. "Run."

"What?" a knight questioned.

Ryan swallowed. "It's a trap. We're being hunted."

A scream shattered the silence, and the group whipped around to see the limp body of a knight held in the arms of an Enderman. Ryan stared into the blank gaze of the creature, and the creature stared right back.

"Run!" Ryan roared, and took off in the opposite direction.

The steady thump of the knights' boots had morphed into an erratic thunder as they crashed through the trees. Ryan hurdled over a fallen trunk and dodged the sweeping arms of an Enderman. The knight next to him was caught up in the creature's grasp, but Ryan didn't look back. They had to move. They had to escape.

"Ryan!" Jack shouted, and Ryan spared him a glance. "The Endermen aren't going to quit. We can't outrun them! We have to fight!"

Ryan clenched his jaw and nodded. He jumped out of the way of a tree and spun in midair, slashing down with his sword. The tip drove through an Enderman's chest, stopping the beast in its tracks. It disappeared with a shriek, dust filtering through the air

Their forces were greater than the battle that had cost them Michael, but it seemed as if the Endermen had grown in number as well. The trees and mist didn't help, either. It was chaos. And just when Ryan thought it couldn't get any worse, men started appearing from behind trees and dropping down from the branches above them. One landed on Ryan, his feet catching Ryan in the chest. They crashed to the ground, and Ryan dropped his sword, stunned and struggling to regain his breath. He scrambled for a weapon, fingers catching only dirt as he twisted to get out from under the man. The man moved closer, and Ryan took the chance to throw his elbow into the man's jaw. The man fell back, and Ryan rolled away. He stood and quickly drew his bow, stamping down on the man's chest to keep him in place. The man choked and struggled against Ryan's boot, but Ryan loosed an arrow into the man's heart before he could get free.

Ryan stepped away from the body and scanned the ground for his sword. The fog had been disturbed enough that he could catch the gleam of the iron in the dirt. He scooped up his sword and shoved it into the sheath, reaching for another arrow once his sword was safe.

The knights were engaged with men and monster alike. Ryan struggled to identify the men in any way, if they were wearing the crest or colors of a kingdom, but they all seemed to be in plainclothes. Ryan couldn't help but think that this was on purpose.

He threw himself into the battle, launching arrow after arrow into the Endermen. The men the knights could take care of, but it was the Endermen that worried Ryan. The only way to stop the Endermen was to kill them. Ryan knew they wouldn't retreat; he could see it in the cold stare of their eyes.

A furious yell struck his ears, and he turned in time to shoot an arrow into a charging man's chest. The man slumped at Ryan's feet, but Ryan was already moving past.

"Ryan!"

Ryan stuttered to a stop. The voice wasn't from Jack or the knights. He turned, raising his bow, and found another bow pointed at him. The man wielding it had a wicked grin on his face.

"The Mad King. Protecting the kingdom you had tried to destroy?" The man laughed. "How ironic. How... poetic."

Ryan clenched his jaw. "Who are you? Who sent you?"

The man laughed again, and this time blood trickled over his lips. Ryan noticed a rapidly darkening spot on the man's torso.

"You'd like to know, wouldn't you? Don't worry. My master will reveal himself when he is ready. But oh, he'd so love to know that you're standing here. It certainly makes things... interesting."

"You won't live to tell him," Ryan growled, fingers tightening on his bow.

The man grinned. "Perhaps. But he'll know. He knows everything. How do you think he knew where to find your friends so he could dispose of them?"

Ryan shifted his stance, pulling back harder on the string of his bow. "They're not dead."

"Are you sure?" the man asked slyly. "Besides, it won't matter anyway. Soon enough, you'll be joining them, and then my master will control this kingdom, and nothing will stop him from spreading his power throughout the rest of the world."

"That won't happen," Ryan snapped. "And you know why?"

The man's bloody slips spread into a wide smile. "Why?"

Ryan let his arrow fly, and it stuck into the chest of the man. The man crumpled to the ground, cocky grin permanently stuck on his lips. Ryan stepped forward, uncaring of the raging battle around him. He hissed, "Because he has no right to the throne." He leaned forward and spit into the ground next to the man's head. "It's  _mine_  to take."

He spun away and charged towards an Enderman, letting arrows slip past his fingers until they began to crack and bleed. The ground was cluttered with bodies, but Ryan was pleased to see it was mostly the unidentified men that were attacking them and not the knights.

He was pulling his sword from a man's chest when the rain hit.

Suddenly the air was full of a shrieking so loud that Ryan thought for a second he was back in the Nether. Then, with a start, he realized that it was the Endermen. He quickly shook away the memory of that hellish realm, once again focusing on the battle. The Endermen were disappearing and reappearing erratically, their movements jerky and unorganized. A few bumped into trees, but the rest were quickly teleporting away from the area. Ryan stared, dumbfounded, as the unidentified men watched their allies desert them.

The knights took advantage of the distraction and set to fighting the men full force, driving them away as well. Ryan tracked a few with his bow, shooting off arrows at as many as he could. It seemed as if the men realized that they had lost this fight, and they were trying to get away as quickly as possible.

Ryan pulled back another arrow and suddenly he was pointing his bow straight at Jack's back. Ryan went to quickly move his bow out of the way and paused, a sick thought forming in his head. No one was watching him. For a moment, he lost himself to some other thing inside his mind. For a moment, the side of him he'd been trying to repress for months broke free. But a moment was long enough.

He let the arrow fly.

Jack cried out, the arrow sticking out of his side. He staggered to the ground, and Ryan instantly ran forward, securing his bow over his shoulder and falling to his knees next to Jack.

"Jack? Are you all right?" he asked, eyes roaming worriedly over Jack's face.

Jack hissed, trying not to move. "Is it an arrow?"

Ryan nodded, hands shaking with adrenaline. It frightened him that he couldn't tell if it was from excitement or worry. "I don't think it's anywhere vital, but it's bleeding heavily." He chewed on his lip. "What should I do?"

"Stop the bleeding, but don't remove the arrow," Jack instructed, trying to keep his voice steady.

Jack groaned as Ryan pressed his hand to the wound. The knights had driven away the other men, and were now either hovering in concern around the pair or were tending to the other wounded.

Ryan called to one of the knights to find him the bag that had contained their medical supplies.

"Just hold on Jack. You'll be fine," Ryan reassured him.

Jack nodded. "I know. You've kept me alive so far. I trust you can do it again."

Ryan stomach twisted with guilt, but at the same time, he couldn't stop the sick satisfaction swirling in his chest.

He didn't know what to think about that.

* * *

They made it back to the kingdom without anymore battles or loses. The knights were worn out and returned to their homes with instructions from Ryan to get some rest. He and Jack made their way to the castle, Jack occasionally supporting himself on Ryan. The doors creaked shut behind them, and they paused inside the Grand Hall. Lindsay ran up to greet them, her arm held close to her side with a sling, and they smiled wearily at her. Ryan made to turn back towards the hall to their rooms, but Jack grabbed his arm.

"Ryan, can I speak with you?"

Ryan's stomach lurched. "Of course," he responded calmly.

Jack paused for a moment, and then said. "I think you should take over as king."

Ryan blinked, and Lindsay looked surprised as well. "What?"

"Gavin's gone, and we need someone to lead us."

"Jack, wait a minute," Ryan said. "The people trust you more than me." He swallowed. "Why don't you-"

"Four of our most important men, including our king, are missing. We need someone to lead our people into battle for them. That can't be me right now." Jack's hand went to his injury.

"You can't trust me enough-"

"You're right. I don't. But the people need a figure head, and honestly? We need to take advantage of everything we have, and the other kingdoms are afraid of you. You can get this job done, and I know you'll do whatever it takes to  _get_  it done."

"Jack..." Ryan murmured. His heart thumped in his chest, seeming to beat a pattern of his guilt. "Even Lindsay would be a better choice than me, and she hasn't been here more than a few months."

Lindsay's lips parted and she sucked in a breath. "No, I couldn't..."

"No one else can do this but you, Ryan," Jack said. "And I'm sure after a while, everyone else will think so as well."

Ryan went silent. He bowed his head and closed his eyes. "Okay. I'll do it."

He looked up when Jack placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'm glad. Truly."

"I'll take Jack to get fixed up," Lindsay offered. "You can get cleaned up and rest. I'm sure you deserve it." She smiled kindly, and the two of them left the room together. Ryan stayed in the Grand Hall for a long time, frozen to his spot and staring up at the throne that was his once again.

Almost against his will, he began to laugh.

* * *

The door to his cell creaked open, and Michael winced away from the light. A shadow blocked the flickering of the torches, and his captor stepped into the room. Michael's shoulder throbbed as he shifted angrily towards the man. He hadn't been able to move it back into place yet, and the pain was really starting to get to him.

"It looks like your friends got lucky. They evaded my Enderman once again."

Michael tried to smile, but the gag in his mouth only allowed for a small smirk.

His captor chuckled. "No matter. Something even better happened. Something that will only further my plans to take Achievement City."

Michael glared at the man, a string of curses on his tongue, unable to be released.

The man stepped forward and crouched in front of Michael. "Ryan has taken over as king. My plan is coming together, Michael Jones. Just you watch. This is only the beginning."

Michael wanted nothing more than to plunge his sword into the man's heart, but he was trapped.  _You're right,_  he thought,  _This has only just started. You don't know what you've begun_.

As if he knew what Michael was thinking, the man smirked. "Don't bother, you won't be able to stop me."

Michael growled in the back of his throat and the man laughed fully, standing up. He walked back towards the door and stopped in the light.

As he pulled the door closed, his captor grinned. "And with Ryan in control, it's only a matter of time before he does all my work for me."

The door slammed shut with a final word from King Roderick.

"Long live the Mad King, Michael Jones."


End file.
